Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) Simulation of Microwave Sintering in Multimode Cavities

1992 ◽  
Vol 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray L. Smith ◽  
Magdy F. Iskander ◽  
Octavio Andrade ◽  
Hal Kimrey

ABSTRACTMicrowave sintering of ceramics in multimode cavities, particularly the use of picket-fence arrangements, has recently received considerable attention. Various types of ceramics have been successfully sintered and, in some cases, a desirable and unique “microwave effect” has been observed.At present, various aspects of the sintering process such as sample sizes and shapes, types of insulations, and the desirability of including a process stimulus such as SiC rods are considered forms of art and highly dependent on human expertise. The simulation of realistic sintering experiments in a multimode cavity may provide a better understanding of critical parameters involved and allow for the development of guidelines towards the optimization of the sintering process.In this paper, we utilize the FDTD technique to model various geometrical arrangements and material compatibility aspects in multimode microwave cavities and to simulate realistic sintering experiments. The FDTD procedure starts with the simulation of a field distribution in multimode microwave cavities that resembles a set of measured data using liquid crystal sheets. Also included in the simulation is the waveguide feed as well as a dielectric loading plate placed at the base of the cavity. The FDTD simulation thus provides realistic representation of a typical sintering experiment. Aspects that have been successfully simulated include types of insulation, role of SiC rods on the uniformity of the resulting fields, problems that may result from presence of thermocouples, and the possible shielding effects that may result from excessive use of SiC. These results as well as others showing the electromagnetic fields and power-deposition patterns in multiple ceramic samples are presented.

1996 ◽  
Vol 430 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bringhurst ◽  
M. J White ◽  
M. F. Iskander

AbstractThe Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method has been used by our group to simulate a wide variety of Radio Frequency (RF) and induction-drying processes and realistic, microwave-sintering experiments. Many results were presented and some guidelines towards the effective use of the microwave and RF heating technologies of ceramic ware were developed.In this paper we describe an experimental effort which was used to validate the FDTD simulation results. Specifically an experimental RF dryer, Thermax Model No. T3GB operating at 25 MHz, was used to dry ceramic ware of various materials, sizes, and shapes and the temperature distribution pattern was monitored using six fiber-optic temperature probes. The measured heating patterns were then compared with the FDTD simulation results. Many of the guidelines developed using the numerical simulations were confirmed experimentally.Results from various comparisons between simulation and experimental data will be presented. Additional results from the simulation efforts illustrating possible procedures for improving the efficiency and the uniformity of RF drying will also be described


1996 ◽  
Vol 430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Subirats ◽  
Magdy F. Iskander ◽  
Mikel J White ◽  
Jim Kiggans

AbstractTo help develop large-scale microwave-sintering processes and to explore the feasibility of the commercial utilization of this technology, we used the recently developed multi-grid 3D Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) code and the 3D Finite-Difference Heat-Transfer (FDHT) code to determine the electromagnetic (EM) fields, the microwave power deposition, and temperature-distribution patterns in layers of samples processed in large-scale multimode microwave cavities.This paper presents results obtained from the simulation of realistic sintering experiments carried out in both 500 and 4000 liter furnaces operating at 2.45 GHz. The ceramic ware being sintered is placed inside a cubical crucible box made of rectangular plates of various ceramic materials with various electrical and thermal properties. The crucible box can accommodate up to 5 layers of ceramic samples with 16 to 20 cup-like samples per layer. Simulation results provided guidelines regarding selection of crucible-box materials, cruciblebox geometry, number of layers, shelf material between layers, and the fraction volume of the load vs. that of the furnace.Results from the FDTD and FDHT simulations will be presented and various tradeoffs involved in designing an effective microwave-processing system will be compared graphically.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Shuwei Yang ◽  
Bingliang Liang ◽  
Changhong Liu ◽  
Jin Liu ◽  
Caisheng Fang ◽  
...  

The (1–x)Ca0.61La0.26TiO3-xNd(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 [(1–x)CLT-xNMT, x = 0.35~0.60] ceramics were prepared via microwave sintering. The effects of sintering temperature and composition on the phase formation, microstructure, and microwave dielectric properties were investigated. The results show that the microwave sintering process requires a lower sintering temperature and shorter sintering time of (1–x)CLT-xNMT ceramics than conventional heating methods. All of the (1–x)CLT-xNMT ceramics possess a single perovskite structure. With the increase of x, the dielectric constant (ε) shows a downward trend; the quality factor (Qf) drops first and then rises significantly; the resonance frequency temperature coefficient (τf) keeps decreasing. With excellent microwave dielectric properties (ε = 51.3, Qf = 13,852 GHz, τf = −1.9 × 10−6/°C), the 0.65CLT-0.35NMT ceramic can be applied to the field of mobile communications.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1718
Author(s):  
Qian Kong ◽  
Manna Gu ◽  
Xiangyu Zeng ◽  
Rui Sun ◽  
Yuqin Zhang ◽  
...  

Manipulation of multichannel vector beams (VBs) with metasurfaces is an important topic and holds potential applications in information technology. In this paper, we propose a novel metasurface for the generation of dual VBs, which is composed of orthogonal slit pairs arranged on multiple groups of combined semicircular rings (CSRs). A group of CSRs include a right-shifted set and a left-shifted set of semicircular rings, and each set of semicircular rings has two halves of circles with different radii, sharing the same shifted center. Under the illumination of linearly polarized light, the two shifted sets of semicircular rings generate the two VBs at the shifted center positions on the observation plane. The slit units of each set are designed with independent rotation order and initial orientation angle. By adjusting the linear polarization of illumination, both two VBs with their orders and polarization states are independently controlled simultaneously. The principle and design are demonstrated by the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulation. The work is of significance for miniatured devices of VB generators and for related applications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 130307
Author(s):  
Jiuhong Ma ◽  
Huizhong Zhao ◽  
Han Zhang ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Yichong Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

1990 ◽  
Vol 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arindam Dé ◽  
Iftikhar Ahmad ◽  
E. Dow Whitney ◽  
David E. Clark

ABSTRACTThe concept of 'hybrid heating with microwave (MW) energy at 2.45 GHZ.'for ultra rapid sintering of alumina is being introduced. This technique is a combination of MW - materual interaction as well as conventional radiant/conduction mechanisms, and facilitates the attainment of perhaps, the highest possible heating rates in a multimode MW cavity at 2.45 GJZz. (1500ºC in 120 sees.). Rapid sintering of pure.undoped alumina with this novel techniQue culminates in uniform, homogeneous microstructures and mechanical property enhancements vis-a-vis conventional fast firing.The role of green microstructure (particle size) on MW(hybrid) heating and processing variables (temperature, time) on the MW (hybrid) heating phenomena vs. conventional fast firing were investigated. Hybrid heated samples showed accelerated densification with comparable grain sizes when compared with the conventionally fast fired samples. The effectof particle size on the microwave (hybrid) heating phenomena was found to be analogous to conventional sintering.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1077
Author(s):  
Romisuhani Ahmad ◽  
Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah ◽  
Wan Mastura Wan Ibrahim ◽  
Kamarudin Hussin ◽  
Fakhryna Hannanee Ahmad Zaidi ◽  
...  

The primary motivation of developing ceramic materials using geopolymer method is to minimize the reliance on high sintering temperatures. The ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was added as binder and reinforces the nepheline ceramics based geopolymer. The samples were sintered at 900 °C, 1000 °C, 1100 °C, and 1200 °C to elucidate the influence of sintering on the physical and microstructural properties. The results indicated that a maximum flexural strength of 92 MPa is attainable once the samples are used to be sintered at 1200 °C. It was also determined that the density, porosity, volumetric shrinkage, and water absorption of the samples also affected by the sintering due to the change of microstructure and crystallinity. The IR spectra reveal that the band at around 1400 cm−1 becomes weak, indicating that sodium carbonate decomposed and began to react with the silica and alumina released from gels to form nepheline phases. The sintering process influence in the development of the final microstructure thus improving the properties of the ceramic materials.


2007 ◽  
Vol 280-283 ◽  
pp. 471-472
Author(s):  
S.A. Seyyed Ebrahimi

Strontium hexaferrite is one of the very important categories of magnetic materials with a wide range applications. One of the very critical parameters in the high temperature method of production of this material is molar ratio of iron oxide to strontium oxide. Although there could be found some reports on the effect of this parameter on the physical properties of the material in the literature but there are very few investigations about the role of this factor on the reactions occurred in the process. In this work the effect of different molar ratios of precursors on the reactions carried out for processing of strontium hexaferrite have been investigated by using thermal analysis techniques such as DTA/TG. Furthermore, the microstructure and the powder and bulk magnetic properties of the products have been studied by SEM, VSM and permeameter.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104
Author(s):  
Iman FarahBakhsh ◽  
Riccarda Antiochia ◽  
Ho Won Jang

This research is dedicated to the role of different amounts of hexagonal BN (hBN: 0, 1.5, 3, and 4.5 wt%) on the pressureless sinterability of ZrB2–25 vol% SiC ceramics. Phenolic resin (5 wt%) with a carbon yield of ~40 % was incorporated as a binder to the powder mixtures and after initial cold pressing, the final sintering process was performed at 1900 °C for 100 min in a vacuum furnace. The as-sintered specimens were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results disclosed that the incorporation of 1.5 wt% hBN could increase the relative density to ~92%, while the sample with zero hBN content just reached ~81% of full densification. Appropriate hBN content not only facilitated the particle rearrangement during the cold pressing, but also removed the harmful oxide impurities during the final sintering. Nevertheless, the addition of higher amounts of hBN remarkably lessened the densification because of more delamination of the non-reacted hBN flakes and release and entrapment of more gaseous by-products induced by the reacted hBN phases.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document