Sintered ceramics with controlled microstructures: numerical investigations with the Discrete Element Method

International audienceThe modelling of processes involving powder needs taking into account the particulate nature of the materials involved. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is well suited for this task. It allows the macroscopic behavior of an assembly of particles to be calculated from the contact forces generated between each particle. Particle rearrangement, a significant signature of powder materials, is explicitly taken into account. We show that DEM has demonstrated use and significant potential for understanding the link between defect formation and initial microstructure. We present diverse examples of application on free and constrained sintering. (C) 2016 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved