Coupled, macro-micro modeling for hot deformation and sintering

Coupled, macro-micro modeling is proposed to describe hot deformation and sintering behavior of materials at the elevated temperature. Micro-model for description of microstructure evolution is coupled in the hierarchical structure with the macro-model for deformation of structural members or specimens. Owing to the homogenization theory and the selected unit-cell model, hot pressing as well as hipping processes can be quantitatively described by the present method. Direct coupling among the elasto-creep deformation, the thermal transient and the diffusion process enables us to construct the theoretical frame for quantitative description of various material behavior at the elevated temperature. Numerical examples are shown to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the present methodology. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.