Monte Carlo simulations for sintering of particle aggregates

A new Monte Carlo simulation procedure is developed for the initial stages of sintering of randomly packed particles. This simulation takes into account the possibility of crack initiation due to the stresses generated by the sintering particles and can accommodate both localized stresses and stress propagation. This procedure is used to investigate the sintering of two-dimensional aggregates of copper particles, and the results are compared with the results of model experiments available in the literature. The two-dimensional simulations presented here lead to shrinkage in area, decreases in perimeter, and particle rearrangements that are physically consistent with the expected behavior and experimental results. The proposed procedure can be extended to accommodate more complex features of sintering and to account for the material-dependent effects of stresses. It can also be used as a probe of sintering of bulk materials with random microstructure and to identify and design model experiments.