Pressure Slip Casting of Graded Coarse Grained Oxide Ceramics for Refractory Applications

摘要

In the present study the fabrication of graded coarse grained ceramic bodies for refractory applications was investigated using a pressure filtration cell,which uses pressurized air as the pressure medium. The pressure filtration cell was used to examine the influence of different ceramic raw materials,two dispersants,and of the particle size distribution on the filtration behavior and on the filter cake surface quality. Pressure slip casting of spinel based slips resulted in crack-free filter cakes,while alumina based slips resulted in filter cakes,which always stuck on the used PMMA filter medium. Furthermore,citric acid as an electrostatic dispersant resulted in a much lower filtration cake resistance and hence shorter filtration times than an electrosteric dispersant. A broader particle size distribution with a higher addition of the finest particle fraction caused an increase in the filter cake resistance but also yielded much better surface qualities. Finally,graded filter cakes with three layers of alumina rich magnesium aluminate spinel with a maximum grain size of 3 mm,1 mm,and 0. 5 mm,respectively,were fabricated. The computed X-ray analyzes indicated a perfect bonding between the three layers,which is a significant improvement to previous studies. However,the graded filter cakes exhibited frequently cracks at the bottom,which was probably caused by tensile stresses from the friction of the filter cakes with the pressure filtration cell. This will be further investigated in subsequent studies. The achieved results demonstrate thefeasibility to produce coarse grained oxide ceramics for refractory applications by pressure slip casting,which eventually allows the production of composites with tailored compositions,microstructure and functionality.