Papers by Author: Joachim Deubener

Abstract: The sintering of Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics prepared from alumoborosilicate glass- and Al2O3 powders of similar small particle size was studied by dilatometry, heating microscopy, microstructure analysis, glass- and effective viscosity measurements. The steric effect of Al3O3 inclusions was studied using a “non-reactive” model composite. With increasing Al3O3 volume fraction ( Φ ≤ 0.45), sintering decelerates and its final stage shifts to higher temperature. The attainable shrinkage is reduced as Al2O3 particle clusters bearing residual pores become more frequent. The kinetics of sintering could be described formally superposing the weighed contributions of differentially sized and randomly composed glass-crystal particle clusters and assuming a sintering rate controlled by the effective matrix viscosity, which increases with Φ and with progressive wetting of Al2O3 particles during densification. The “reactive” model composite shows significant dissolution of Al2O3 into the glass, which has two opposed effects on sintering: reducing Φ and increasing glass viscosity. For the present case ( Φ = 0.25), the latter effect dominates and sintering is retarded by Al2O3 dissolution. Crystallization of wollastonite starts after full densification. Dissolution of Al2O3 was found to promote the subsequent growth of anorthite.

Abstract: Diffusion and solubility of sulphur have important effects on the degassing of silicate melts. Both properties are closely related to the structural incorporation of sulphur in the melt. Depending on the oxygen fugacity, sulphur can be present as sulphide (S2-), sulphite (S4+) or sulphate (S6+). Sulphates play an important role in the industrial production of glasses especially in the fining process. The decomposition products of sulphate amass in bubbles which ascend and homogenize the melt. Structural incorporation of sulphur in glasses is studied by XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy). Diffusion of sulphur is investigated in simple silicate systems using the diffusion couple technique. First diffusion profiles were measured in sodium trisilicate glasses by electron microprobe. The results indicate that sulphur diffusivity in high temperature melts is close to the Eyring diffusivity calculated from viscosity data.