Publications Details
Characterizing and modeling organic binder burnout from green ceramic compacts
New characterization and computational techniques have been developed to evaluate and simulate binder burnout from pressed powder compacts. Using engineering data and a control volume finite element method (CVFEM) thermal model, a nominally one dimensional (1-D) furnace has been designed to test, refine, and validate computer models that stimulate binder burnout assuming a 1-D thermal gradient across the ceramic body during heating. Experimentally, 1-D radial heat flow was achieved using a rod-shaped heater that directly heats the inside surface of a stack of ceramic annuli surrounded by thermal insulation. The computational modeling effort focused on producing a macroscopic model for binder burnout based on continuum approaches to heat and mass conservation for porous media. Two increasingly complex models have been developed that predict the temperature and mass of a porous powder compact as a function of time during binder burnout. The more complex model also predicts the pressure within a powder compact during binder burnout. Model predictions are in reasonably good agreement with experimental data on binder burnout from a 57-65% relative density pressed powder compact of a 94 wt% alumina body containing approx. 3 wt% binder. In conjunction with the detailed experimental data from the prototype binder burnout furnace, the models have also proven useful for conducting parametric studies to elucidate critical material property data required to support model development.