MECHANICS OF SINTERING THIN FILMS - I. FORMULATION AND ANALYTICAL RESULTS

An analysts of the mechanics of sintering thin films is presented A two-dimensional formulation is obtained by averaging the governing equations through the film thickness The effect of the interracial shear traction is represented by a body force winch is related to the in-plane velocity through an interface model Analytical results valid for short times have been obtained for an initially homogeneous annular film on a rigid substrate A theoretical justification of the Interface model, together with a numerical simulation of interface deformation based on the underlying micromechanics is given m the Appendix for sintering films The analysis is based on linear vascous material behavior but can be applied to elastic films with appropriate modifications