Interpretation of Frenkel’s theory of sintering considering evolution of activated pores: III. Determination of equilibrium sintering time

In this article, the Frenkel?s theory of liquid-phase sintering was interpreted regarding pores as the activated volume. The mathematical model established by Nikolic et al. was used to infer the equilibrium sintering time at varied sintering temperatures during the isothermal sintering of codierite glass by Giess et al. Through the calculation, the equilibrium time at 800?C, 820?C, 840?C and 860?C is inferred to be 7014.42mins, 1569.65mins, 368.92mins and 114.61mins, respectively. The equilibrium time decreases as the temperature increases. And the theoretical value is in good accordance with the experimental results. Thus, the model established by Nikolic et al. can be applied successfully to predict the equilibrium sintering time of the cordierite glass at varied temperatures during isothermal sintering.