Sintering and crystallization of a 23.12mol% Li20, 11.10mol% Zr02, 65.78mol% Si02 glass powder was investigated. By means of thermal shrinkage measurements, sintering was found to start at about 650 deg C and completed in a very short temperature interval in less than 30 min. Crystallization took place just after completion of sintering and was almost complete at about 900 deg C in 20 min. Secodary porosity prevailed over the primary porosity during the crystallization stage. The glass powder compacts first crystallized into lithium metasilicate which transformed into lithium disilicate, zircon and tridymite after the crystallization process was essentially complete. The microstructure was characterized by fine crystals uniformly distributed and arbitrarily oriented throughout the resudual glass phase.
