Click here to view fulltext PDF

Permanent link:
https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/boms/026/02/0217-0220

Sillimanite; mullite; beach sand; aggregate.

Mullite was developed by reaction sintering of sillimanite beach sand and calcined alumina. Two varieties of sillimanite beach sand viz. S and Z having different compositions were selected. Synthesis and properties of mullite were very much dependent on the sillimanite beach sand composition. Presence of higher amount of impurities in the Z-variety of sillimanite sand favours the densification by liquid phase formation. Presence of zircon in Z-variety increases the hardness and fracture toughness. Alumina addition improves the mechanical/thermomechanical properties of the samples. Mullite retains the usual orthorhombic habit of sillimanite. Rounded to sub rounded zirconia dispersed within the mullite matrix of the sample ZA is noticed.

H S Tripathi¹ B Mukherjee¹ S K Das¹ A Ghosh¹ G Banerjee¹

1. Refractories Division, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata 700 032, India

Published

February 2003

Manuscript received

26 February 2001

Manuscript revised

1 April 2002