Calculating the thermal conductivity of heated powder compacts

This work is devoted to the theoretical understanding of the microstructure and thermal conductivity relationships of compacted ceramic powders in the initial, nondensifying stage of sintering, A model based on surface diffus ion of vacancies for the growth of the neck between particles is combined w ith numerical fully three-dimensional code calculations, which solve for th e effective heat conductivity coefficient of lightly sintered particles. Th e predictions of the model are in agreement with experimental observations. The approach presented can be applied to solve a series of related problem s, like dielectric properties, with arbitrary microstructure and multicompo nent composite of the powders.