Sintering 2026

Session

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

1 Sept 2026, 11:20

68. A mesoscale simulation model of solid state sintering applied to X2CrNiMo17-12-2 stainless steel

Oliver Schenk (RWTH Aachen University)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Solid state sintering is governed by self-diffusion processes that induce the formation and growth of sinter necks. This may be accompanied with the successive approach of individual particles to each other that manifests in a macroscopic shrinkage and distortion. In this context, numerous studies contributed to a profound understanding of the interdependence between powder particle size...

164. Advanced phase-field modeling and simulation framework for practical sintering process design

Prof. Tomohiro Takaki (Kyoto Institute of Technology)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

2. Invited speaker (by invitation only)

In solid-state sintering, numerical prediction of microstructure and defect evolution is essential for the creation of high-performance products. The phase-field (PF) method is uniquely capable of accurately capturing both densification and grain growth during sintering. However, the high computational cost of PF sintering simulations remains a major obstacle. In addition, rigid-body motion...

90. Atomistic Stress Analysis during Nanoparticle Sintering: Molecular Dynamics Insights Beyond Continuum TheoryAtomistic Stress Analysis during Nanoparticle Sintering: Molecular Dynamics Insights Beyond Continuum Theory

Mr Wenjie Fu (Shanghai University)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Stress development at particle contacts during sintering plays a critical role in microstructural evolution and mechanical performance. While molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been widely used to elucidate atomistic sintering mechanisms such as surface and grain-boundary diffusion, stress analysis has largely relied on classical continuum theories, which describe densification using an...

22. Challenges toward establishing a benchmark for sintering simulation

Fumihiro Wakai (National Institute for Materials Science)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

2. Invited speaker (by invitation only)

Recent advances in synchrotron X-ray tomography have shown that real microstructural evolution during sintering is far more complex than assumed in classical models [1]. To understand these complex phenomena and to move beyond a trial-and-error approach in process design, multiscale modeling and simulation of microstructural evolution are required.
At the particle or mesoscale, various...

178. Concepts, strategies and frontiers for the modelling and simulation of the FAST-Sintering Process

Stephan Daniel Schwöbel (Chemnitz University of Technology, Institute of Material Science and Engineering)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

In recent years, advances in the mathematical modelling of sintering processes have led to continuous improvements in simulation efficiency and reliability. Current modelling approaches address different length scales, so from macroscopic simulations of shrinkage effects for offset-geometry design and production error minimization, to microscopic phase-field models that enable detailed...

118. CONTINUUM MESO-MACRO MULTISCALE MODELING OF ANISOTROPY DURING SINTERING OF PARTS PRODUCED VIA ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Dr Thomas Grippi (CIRIMAT Toulouse)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

In this study, the anisotropy of parts produced via binder jetting is investigated during sintering across multiple scales, using a coupled kinetic Monte Carlo–Finite Element simulation framework.
The process begins with the calibration and validation of a microscale Monte Carlo (kMC) sintering model, benchmarked against experimental data obtained through X-ray computed tomography (X-ray...

62. Coupled Diffusion, Grain Motion, and Stress in Sintering: A Phase-Field–Micromechanics Approach

Qingcheng Yang (Shanghai University)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

2. Invited speaker (by invitation only)

Sintering is a key processing route for ceramics and metals, where densification and microstructure evolution are governed by coupled diffusion, grain motion, and stress development across multiple length scales. In this work, we present a thermodynamically consistent phase-field–micromechanics model (PFMMS) that rigorously couples mass transport, grain boundary migration, and mechanical...

187. Coupling a mesoscale phase-field model with continuum mechanics principles to capture shrinkage during solid-state sintering

Vladimir Ivannikov (Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

The majority of the existing phase-field sintering models is based on the seminal work of Wang that employs Cahn–Hilliard and Allen–Cahn equations to capture mass transport and grain-growth and introduces the concept of sintering forces to handle particle rigid-body motions responsible for shrinkage. However, in the original formulation, these sintering forces are converted to velocities which...

30. Development of a phase-field sintering model for highly accurate prediction of sintered microstructure and defects

Mr Aoi Nakazawa (Kyoto Institute of Technology)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

4. Poster presentation

Since the properties of sintered products are significantly affected by their microstructures and defects formed during the sintering process, accurate prediction and control of the microstructure evolution are essential. However, experimentally observing the sintering process in situ is not straightforward. Therefore, numerical simulation studies for predicting microstructural evolution are...

26. Geometry prediction of Nickel-Based Alloy Components in Metal Injection Molding and Binder Jetting

Victor SZCZEPAN (Safran Tech)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Sinter-based additive manufacturing (SBAM) encompasses various processes such as Binder Jetting, Fused Filament Fabrication, Metal Injection Molding, Cold Metal Fusion, and many more. These processes involve the same steps: (i) formation of the so-called “green part” from powder and binder, (ii) debinding to remove the binder, and (iii) sintering to densify the part. The SBAM processes offer a...

105. Graph Neural Network Surrogate Modeling for Sintering Distortion Prediction in Metal Binder Jetting

Luca Juris (RWTH Aachen University - Digital Additive Production DAP)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Metal Binder Jetting (BJT-MSt/M) offers high productivity, but sintering distortion limits dimensional accuracy and first time right production. High fidelity finite element (FEM) sintering simulations can predict distortion, yet their runtime restricts design space exploration and rapid design iterations. We present a graph neural network (GNN) surrogate that predicts sintering induced...

131. Hybrid Constitutive Law with Machine Learning for Sintering of Advanced Ceramics

Dr Baber SALEEM (University of Leicester)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Predictive simulation of sintering-induced distortion remains challenging for ceramic components subjected to gravity and mechanical constraint. Classical constitutive sintering laws reproduce free densification reliably but lack the flexibility required to capture stress-driven deformation within finite-element (FE) frameworks when calibrated solely from dilatometer data. This study presents...

44. In situ Electron Tomography‑driven Bayesian Data Assimilation for High‑fidelity Phase‑field Simulation of Solid‑state Sintering

Dr Akimitsu Ishii (National Institute for Materials Science)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Phase field (PF) simulation has emerged as a promising tool for predicting microstructural evolution during solid state sintering, offering a continuum framework that can capture neck growth, grain growth, and densification at the nano- and mesoscales. However, PF simulations demand accurate material parameters—such as temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients, interfacial energies, and...

45. Last advances in Discrete Element Simulation of sintering

Prof. Christophe MARTIN (UGA-CNRS)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

2. Invited speaker (by invitation only)

In this presentation, we will review the last advances in discrete element simulations of sintering processes. We present a free in-house code, dp3D, which can tackle the different processes related to powder metallurgy from compaction to sintering. dp3D introduces a coupling between densification and grain-growth. The simplifying assumptions and the limitations of the model are discussed...

159. Machine Learning–Enhanced Simulation and Optimization of Ceramic Sintering Processes

Jens Landgraf (sico-solutions scientific and technical soltuions)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Sintering is one of the most critical stages in the ceramic manufacturing cycle, as it strongly affects the final properties and quality of ceramic products. The development of controlled process technologies for optimizing firing protocols and reducing production waste is therefore essential for modern ceramic manufacturing.

In this work, a novel process technology is presented that...

117. Microstructural sintering simulations for optimized microstructure evolution during sintering

Dr Gerhard Seifert (Fraunhofer ISC)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

A novel integrated microstructure model of sintering (IMS) has been developed to enable the simulation of realistic time-temperature cycles during sintering processes (F. Raether, G. Seifert, Open Ceramics, 25, 2026, 100900). Designed for solid-state sintering processes, the IMS includes grain boundary and surface diffusion, as well as grain growth. To obtain realistic results from the...

46. Modeling sintering of granulated WC-12Co powder manufactured by Metal Binder Jetting

Alexis Burr (Univ. Grenoble Alpes - CEA)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

The Metal Binder Jetting technology (MBJ) is a sinter-based additive manufacturing process gaining increasing interests due to its benefits to quickly produce complex parts for small to medium series. Despite its attractiveness, MBJ still faces many challenges at every stage of the process, such as low green part strengths, repeatability issues and precise control of dimensional accuracy after...

154. Monte Carlo Simulation of Microstructure Development in Alumina via Densification and Grain Growth

Dr Sota Terasaka (Japan Fine Ceramics Center)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Most ceramic components are manufactured using a powder sintering process. The ceramic microstructure develops through the interaction of densification and grain growth, which is influenced by various process factors. Therefore, computer simulations are crucial. Among the various simulation techniques, the Monte Carlo (MC) method is a prominent approach. In this study, sintering experiments...

49. Nested Machine Learning in Finite Element Analysis for Predicting Sintering Deformation

Ran He (School of Engineering, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

2. Invited speaker (by invitation only)

Dimensional distortion during sintering remains a major challenge in ceramic manufacturing, frequently leading to costly post-sintering machining or component rejection. Reliable prediction of shrinkage and shape change is difficult because sintering behaviour depends on evolving microstructure, thermal history and processing conditions, whilst conventional constitutive models require...

191. Non-Isothermal Approaches to Evaluating Sintering Activation Energy

Karel Maca (Brno University of Technology)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

The determination of activation energy of thermally activated processes is conventionally carried out through a series of isothermal experiments and application of the Arrhenius equation. However, this approach cannot be directly applied to ceramic sintering, as it proceeds continuously through multiple stages across a broad temperature interval. The correct determination of non-isothermal...

91. Numerical Evaluation of Nonuniform Sintering Shrinkage and Residual Stress in Bulk Ceramics Induced by Internal Temperature Gradients

Chikako Natsumeda (Saga University)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

This study presents a numerical evaluation of deformation and stress in bulk ceramic bodies induced by internal temperature gradients during the sintering process. Finite element simulations are conducted using a model previously proposed by the authors, in which the total deformation is decomposed into four components: thermal-reversible, thermal-irreversible, mechanical-reversible, and...

107. Particle rotation as probe of resistance to interparticle sliding in the rheology of sintering

Prof. Laurent Delannay (UCLouvain)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

In conditions of constrained sintering, an aggregate's deformation may involve sliding along the interfaces of contact between particles. The boundary viscosity expressing the resistance to sliding is largely unknown. The motion of each particle is described by two vectors: the velocity of the particle centroid and the particle rotation rate. Interparticle sliding brings the decoupling of the...

212. Phase-field Simulation for Advanced Sintering

Yangyiwei Yang (Technische Universität Darmstadt)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Advanced sintering techniques, distinguished from traditional methods by implementing treatments beyond heat or pressure, have recently gained attention for their efficiency, rapid heating/cooling capabilities, and precise shaping capabilities. The phase-field model has demonstrated its effectiveness in elucidating the in-process evolution of complex structures, taking into account factors...

37. Probing high heating rate sintering with the phase-field method

Marco Seiz (Kyoto Institute of Technology)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

Sintering is an energy-intensive process used in many materials manufacturing routes.
High heating rate sintering promises to reduce the time and energy costs and possibly achieve better properties as well.
However, it may induce large thermal gradients which can lead to inhomogeneous microstructures and cracks forming.
In this work we seek to further the understanding of how the...

172. Simulation of grain morphology evolution during sintering

Evan Pereira (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

In the nuclear fuel industry, sintering is one of the key steps in the manufacturing fuel pellets. This process is driven by the solid-state diffusion of the ceramic, here either undoped/doped. At the microscopic scale, the green pellet consists of UO2 grain clusters. During the sintering, microstructure evolution depends on the competition between bulk, surface and grain boundary diffusion,...

9. Sintering Models Assessment from Experimental Tests to Inverse Learning Approaches: The Role of Sintering Moduli in Rapid Sintering and 3D-Printed Structures

Charles Maniere (CNRS CRISMAT)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

2. Invited speaker (by invitation only)

Assessing sintering models experimentally is challenging, as it requires isolating both the thermally activated nature of sintering and the powder-specific behavior encoded in the sintering moduli. These parameters often exhibit strong interconnections, necessitating dedicated experiments such as instrumented sinter-forging tests. In parallel, inverse learning strategies based on...

69. Sintering properties evaluation of metal powder compacts considering machine learning-based grain growth model

Prof. Kazunari Shinagawa (Kyushu University)

Modelling and simulation of sintering at multiple scales

3. Oral presentation

The sintering shrinkage of ceramic powder compacts is large because the organic binder is mixed in forming process, whereas metal powder compacts also experience large sintering shrinkage when formed using metal injection molding or sinter-based additive manufacturing technologies. To analyze the shrinkage deformation of powder compacts in the sintering process, material parameters in a...