Measurement of Densification of Zinc Oxide Compacts
Using an Optical, Noncontact, Noninvasive Extensometer

Tayo Olorunyolemi, Renee Tolbert, Otto Wilson, Jr., Yuval Carmel, Isabel Lloyd, Gengfu Xu, and Allen Jaworski
Institute for Plasma Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

Journal of the American Ceramic Society 83 [4], 974-976 (2000)

ABSTRACT. An optical noninvasive, noncontact extensometer was used to measure the shrinkage of zinc oxide powder compacts during sintering. Powder compacts were uniaxially and isostatically pressed from micrometer, submicrometer, and nano powders and sintered in a thermal oven at temperatures up to 1100oC. The nanometer-size sample started to densify at ~400oC, about 200oC below the densification threshold of the micrometer-size sample. The results are in good agreement with those obtained using a contact dilatometer.

Supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Structural Ceramics Division, under Grant No. F496209710270 and partially supported by the Naval Research Laboratory.