# Thermomechanical modelling of ceramic pressing and subsequent sintering

## TL;DR

This paper presents a thermomechanical model for simulating ceramic powder pressing and sintering, validated against experiments, to improve understanding and optimization of industrial ceramic manufacturing processes.

## Contribution

It introduces a micromechanical-based elastic-visco-plastic model for ceramic forming and sintering, with parameters derived from experimental data, and validated through experiments on ceramic pieces.

## Key findings

- Model accurately predicts forming and sintering behavior of stoneware ceramics.
- Micromechanical approach provides reliable estimates of compaction curves.
- Model can be used to optimize industrial ceramic manufacturing processes.

## Abstract

An elastic-visco-plastic thermomechanical model for the simulation of cold forming and subsequent sintering of ceramic powders is introduced and based on micromechanical modelling of the compaction process of granulates. Micromechanics leads to an upper-bound estimate of the compaction curve of a granular material, which compares well with other models and finite element simulations. The parameters of the thermomechanical model are determined on the basis of available data and dilatometer experiments. Finally, after computer implementation, validation of the model is performed against experiments developed on specially designed ceramic pieces, characterized by zones of different density. The mechanical model is found to accurately describe forming and sintering of stoneware ceramics and can therefore be used to analyze and optimize industrial processes involving compaction of powders and subsequent firing of the greens.