Study of the influence of mineralizer and firing mode on the properties of slavsonite­celsian ceramics

Abstract

The effect of 0.7 % (more than 100 % of the batch) of a low­melting mineralizer (eutectic mixture of Li2O and SnO2 with a melting point of about 650 °C), as well as temperatures of 1350, 1400, and 1450 °C and holding time at the maximum temperature (2—6 hours) on the properties of slavsonite­celsian ceramics with a slavsonite : celsian ratio of 3 : 1 in comparison with the properties of the same ceramics without mineralizer, fired at 1250, 1350, and 1400 °C with a holding time at a maximum temperature of 2 hours, was studied.
 It was found that the mineralizer used in the amount of 0.7 % significantly inhibits the sintering of slavsonite­celsian ceramics with a slavsonite : celsian ratio of 3: 1. As a result, the obtained values of water absorption (10.2 and 8.18 %) and open porosity (22.93 and 19.9 %) of the samples with the mineralizer, fired at temperatures of 1350 and 1400 °C and a holding time of 2 hours, are almost 2 times higher (i.e., worse) than those without the mineralizer (5.8 and 4.7 %, and 14.7 and 12.0 %, respectively). Therefore, an introduction of the mineralizer (eutectic mixture of Li2O and SnO2) in the amount of 0.7 % into slavsonite­celsian ceramics with a slavsonite : celsian ratio of 3 : 1 is impractical under these conditions.
 Firing temperature in the range of 1350—1450 °C and holding time in the range of 2—6 hours have virtually no effect on the strength of samples with the mineralizer addition (eutectic mixture of Li2O and SnO2) in the amount of 0.7 %.