Determination of the minimum time for binder removal and optimum geometry for three-dimensional porous green bodies

Abstract

A model is developed to optimize two aspects of the thermal removal of binder from green ceramic components. The model, which accounts for flow in porous media arising from the thermal decomposition of binder in three-dimensional body with anisotropic permeability, describes the pressure within the body as a function of position, time, and temperature during the heating cycle. The model is used with variational calculus to predict the heating profile that minimizes the cycle time for the thermal removal of binder. The model is also used to determine which body geometry maximizes the buildup of pressure in parallelepipeds, a common shape of multilayer ceramic capacitors.