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2001
Journal Article
Titel
Optical dilatometry for the control of microstructure development during sintering
Abstract
An optical method for the in situ measurement of sintering shrinkage has been developed. It relies on a simple and robust CCD camera technique and is applicable up to high temperatures (2000 degreesC) and heating rates (10 K/min) in industrial furnace atmospheres. A resolution of less than 1 mum for a sample diameter of 10 mm has been achieved using a special geometrical arrangement and a smart image analysis algorithm. Systematic errors are small (<0.1%) and can be corrected by an additional measurement. A high reproducibility of shrinkage measurement has been observed in various sintering experiments. The optical dilatometer is very flexible: it has been used also for an accurate temperature calibration and for wetting experiments and it can be adjusted to different furnace types.