It has been shown that the grinding of Rutile reduces the starting sinterin
g temperature of compacted bodies. A compactness close to full density has
been obtained for both the ground and the whole set of Rutile ground sample
s. SEM observations have shown that the grain size of the compacted bodies
decreases by increasing the grinding time of the powders used as raw materi
als. These results have been interpreted considering that the grinding of R
utile inhibits its grain growth during the sintering, (C) 2001 Elsevier Sci
ence B.V. All rights reserved.