Construction and validation of master sintering curve for TiO₂ for pressureless sintering

One of the ultimate objectives for sintering research is to predict densification results under different thermal profiles for a given processing method. This paper studies the construction and validation of the master sintering curve ( MSC) for rutile TiO2 for pressureless sintering. The MSC was constructed using dilatometry data at two heating rates and was then validated using isothermal holds at three different temperatures. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation shows that the partially sintered samples have the same density under different heating procedures, which demonstrates that the assumptions of the model are reliable. The concept of the MSC could be used to predict the sintering shrinkage and final density and calculate the activation energy. A value of 105 kJ mol(-1) for TiO2 was obtained. The MSC could be applied to predict the sintering profile to prepare ceramics with required density and a minimum of grain growth.