Abstract
In the present study, mullite was synthesized through reaction sintering of Algerian kaolinite and high purity alumina. The raw powders were wet ball milled in a planetary ball mill. Powders' morphology and the microstructure of the sintered samples were characterized by means of a scanning electron microscope. An X-ray diffractometer equipped with a heating facility and a differential thermal analyzer were used to follow mullite formation. Cylindrical specimens were produced by uniaxial cold compaction at a pressure of 75 MPa and sintered at different sintering temperatures for different sintering times. The heating rate was 10 °C/min. It was found that Algerian kaolinite was suitable for mullite production through reaction sintering with pure Al2O3. Formation of complete mullite occurred at 1550 °C. A relative density of 94% (of the theoretical density) was achieved at a relatively low sintering temperature of 1600 °C and a sintering time of 4 h.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 304-310 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Applied Clay Science |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Algerian kaolinite
- Alumina
- Mullite
- Reaction sintering
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Water Science and Technology
- Soil Science
- Geology
- Geochemistry and Petrology