Fast firing of electroceramics

Fast firing of electroceramic material was investigated as a means of rapidly processing piezoelectric material. The green bodies were rapidly heated to their sintering temperature and sintered for a variety of processing times. Piezoelectric properties and microstructures were compared to material processed under the conventional processing conditions. The d(33) coefficient coupling factor and density compared well with conventional material whilst the grain size was considerably lower. Possible improvements due to the fine grain size are increased mechanical properties and lower dielectric loss.