1. Explain why densification is, in general, faster in liquid phase sintering than in solid state sintering.

2. Consider three different liquid phase sintered compacts with the same chemical composition, same grain size and distribution, and same liquid volume fraction, say 5 vol%. One is fully densified, another is partially densified with a number of pores smaller than the grain size, and another contains only a few pores more than ten times larger than the grain size. Describe and compare the microstructures of these compacts in view of the shapes of the grains within the liquid and in contact with the pores.