Multi-scale modeling and simulation of sintering

Simulation methods to study sintering based on finite elements as well as discrete particle dynamics are presented. Both methods have their application focus on different length scales. The particle method is computationally very efficient so that three dimensional simulations with several million grains can be simulated. In contrast to continuum methods this approach automatically takes into account the rearangements of the grains and predicts structural compositions. This allows for a comparsion with analytical results yielding new insights into the dynamics of sintering granular materials.