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Investigation of Sintering Temperature on Attrition Resistance of Highly Porous Diatomite Based Material

Journal Article · · AIP Conference Proceedings
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3453821· OSTI ID:21366761
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Ueberlandstrasse 129, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland)

Highly porous diatomite based granulates with a diameter of 500 mum have been produced by an extrusion method. In order to investigate the relation between microstructure, phase composition and attrition resistance of the final product, the granulates were sintered between 800 and 1300 deg. C. Mean pore size of the granulates was evaluated by Hg-porosimetry. An increase of the pore size is observed in the range of 3.6 nm to 40 mum with increasing sintering temperature. Higher mean pore radii of 1.6 mum and 5.7 mum obtained by sintering at 800 and 1300 deg. C respectively. X-ray diffraction shows that mullite phase appears at 1100 deg. C due to the presence of clay. At 1100 deg. C diatomite (amorphous silicate) started to transform into alpha-cristobalite. Attrition resistance was determined by evaluating the amount of ground material passed through a sieve with a predefined mesh size. It was observed that a material sintered at high temperature leads to an increase of attrition resistance due to the decrease of total porosities and phase transformation. Due to the reason that attrition resistance significantly increased by sintering the granulates at higher temperature, a so called attrition resistance index was determined in order to compare all the different attrition resistance values. This attrition resistance index was determined by using the exponential component of the equation obtained from attrition resistance curves. It permits comparison of the attrition behaviour without a time influence.

OSTI ID:
21366761
Journal Information:
AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1254; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English