The influence of the raw materials mixture on the properties of forsterite ceramics

Abstract

Forsterite ceramics is a part of the refractory magnesium ceramics. The aim of this paper is to characterize the properties of forsterite ceramics in dependence on different compositions of the raw material mixture. Forsterite ceramics is not currently produced in the Czech Republic. Forsterite ceramics is used in industry for its high refractoriness and also for its coefficient of linear thermal expansion which is close to metals. The primary objective of this article is to synthesize forsterite ceramics via solid state reaction. Different raw materials were used for materials mixtures and properties of fired samples were investigated, considering the influence of the raw materials mixtures. Specifically the apparent porosity, water absorption, mineralogical composition, coefficient of linear thermal expansion and refractoriness were investigated.