Analysis of the applicability of physical models to describe densification of lithium ferrite compacts during sintering in the field of intense electron beam

Abstract

The paper analyzes the possibility of describing the accelerated sintering of lithium-titanium compacts under high-power radiation effects in terms of classical physical models developed by Kuczynski and Johnson based on the kinetic analysis of ferrite compact densification. LiTi ferrites synthesized by ceramic technology in laboratory conditions were investigated. The first portion of the compacts was sintered in air in thermal ovens at 900–1100°C for 30 minutes at a heating rate of 900 °C/min. The second portion of the compacts was sintered in a similar mode but using a radiation-thermal method: the exposure to pulsed electron beam with energy of 1.5–2.0 MeV using the ILU-6 accelerator. The geometrical dimensions of the compacts were measured before and after sintering to determine shrinkage. Mathematical approximation of the experimental shrinkage data showed the discrepancy of both models to describe sintering of LiTi ferrite samples both under thermal sintering conditions and radiationthermal effect.