Gelcasting is a promising new technology for manufacturing advanced structural ceramic components. The process involves drying of the "green" gelcast part before densification. The physical mechanisms that control this relatively long drying process are not well understood. In this study, several controlled experiments have been performed to elucidate the key mechanisms. A one-dimensional drying model has been formulated, based on evaporation and gaseous diffusion through the part. Experimental data have been used to obtain correlations for model parameters. This model predicts the instantaneous moisture content of a gelcast sample with an accuracy of better than 10% when the dryer humidity, dryer temperature, and sample thickness are specified.
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