Sintering: from Empirical Observations to Scientific Principles

As sintering applications march toward a $30 billion global business, the models for sintering have progressed, but generally follow behind observation. Documentation of the steps needed to build to a quantitative and predictive theory are often missed. Sintering: From Empirical Observations to Scientific Principles partitions sintering applications and observations to show critical turning points required to establish modern sintering as a predictive science. This book, written by the most cited author in his field, is laced with people, organizations, critical steps, and important formulations in a mixture of history, personalities, and applications. Exploring how insights in seemingly unrelated fields sparked progress, it is also a teaching tool to show where there is success, where there are problems, and how to organize teams to leapfrog to new applications or plateaus of use. Randall German's Sintering: From Empirical Observations to Scientific Principles is a platform for directly addressing the critical control parameters in these new research and development efforts. It shows how the theories and understanding of sintering were developed and improved over time, and how different products were developed, ultimately leading to important knowledge and lessons for solving real sintering problems. It covers all the necessary infrastructure of sintering theory and practice, such as atomic theory, surface energy, microstructure, and measurement and observation tools. It introduces the history and development of such early sintered products as porcelain, tungsten lamp filaments, bronze bearings, steel automotive components, platinum crucibles and more.