Investigation of liquid-phase sintering by image analysis

The liquid-phase sintering of austenitic stainless steel alloyed with boron was studied by means of image analysis. By evaluating fractional porosity, the amount of liquid constituent, grain size, and pore morphology, the effect of boron content and sintering time on the sintering process was determined and discussed on the basis of the classic theory of liquid-phase sintering. Image analysis proves to be a powerful tool for optimizing the liquidphase sintering process.