2014-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS 2014 Volume 5: Composite, Ceramic, Quasi-crystals, Nanomaterials & Coatings
| Editors: | Kongoli F |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2014 |
| Pages: | 578 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-1-987820-07-2 |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
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High Temperature Synthesis of Zircon-Mullite-Zirconia Refractory Ceramic Composite from Clay Based Materials
Fatai Olufemi Aramide1; Keneth Kanayo Alaneme1; Peter O Olubambi2; Joseph Olatunde Borode1;1DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Akure, Nigeria; 2APPLIED MICROSCOPY AND TRIBOELECTROCHEMICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING, TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Pretoria, South Africa (zuid Afrika);
Type of Paper: Regular
Id Paper: 90
Topic: 16
Abstract:
Clay, being the most common mineral, is a composite of several minerals such as iron oxides, alumina, silica etc and it has many useful properties, including high specific surface area and excellent adsorptive capacity.
Nevertheless, due to the low purity level of the material in nature, its usefulness at high temperatures that exceed 1200oC has been hampered. In this study, an attempt was made in order to investigate the possibility of using various composite minerals in the clay as an advantage to synthesize mullite fibers and zircon ceramic based composites through powder metallurgy technique for high temperature applications.
Powder yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was mixed in a tubular mixer with varying compositions of clay with known mineralogical composition and it was also mechanically milled in a planetary ball mill. The raw clay and blended powders/clay were compacted into standard sample dimensions and finally fired at 1200oC and 1300oC for one hour, also at 1400oC and 1500oC for one, two and three hours. The calcined blends and compacted samples were characterized using ultra-high resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (UHR-FEGSEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Various mechanical properties of the samples were also determined with the intention to select a recipe of optimum performance. Zircon phase was discovered in the samples of powder/clay mixtures from temperature of 1200oC. Mullite fibers were also discovered in those samples at 1400oC.
The addition of the YSZ greatly improved the mechanical properties of the samples when compared to those without the additives.
It was concluded that the optimum performance was obtained from the sample with composition 30% (vol) ZrO2 and 70% (vol) clay fired at 1400oC.