Reaction Sintering of Zirconia-Mullite Composites in the Presence of SrO

Abstract

Reaction sintering of zirconia mullite composites was studied using zircon sand and alumina as the starting materials and SrO as additive up to 6 mass-% in the temperature range of 1500–1600°C. Reaction sintered products were characterized for densification and phase analysis study. SrO up to 4 mass-% was found to be highly beneficial for densification but a higher amount at higher temperatures was found to cause some desintering effect. SrO was found to have no effect on the phase content, and the reaction between zircon and alumina was found to be incomplete even at 1600°C, with and without additive conditions.