Preparation and characterization of regenerated MgO–CaO refractory bricks sintered under different atmospheres

Regenerated MgO-CaO brick samples containing 80wt%, 70wt%, and 60wt% MgO were prepared using spent MgO-CaO bricks and fused magnesia as raw materials and paraffin as a binder. The bricks were sintered at 1873 K for 2 h under an air atmosphere and under an isolating system. The microstructure, mechanical properties at room temperature, and hydration resistance of the regenerated samples were measured and compared. The results indicated that the isolating sintering generated a strongly reducing atmosphere as a result of the incomplete combustion of paraffin, and the partial oxygen pressure was approximately 6.68 × 10^-7 Pa. The properties of the regenerated bricks sintered under air conditions were all higher than those of the bricks sintered under a reducing atmosphere. The deterioration of the bricks was a result of MgO reduction and a decrease in the amount of liquid phase formed during sintering under a reducing atmosphere.

Effect of furnace atmosphere on sintering process of chromium-containing steel via powder metallurgy

During a powder metallurgy process such as sintering,the primary role played by the atmosphere in furnace is to prevent an excessive oxidation of powder compacts in case of the formation of oxides as residuals on powder surfaces.In particular,the adjustment of furnace atmosphere is the key to eliminate the phenomenon"decarburization"likely to occur in carbon-containing compacts.A continuous belt furnace was used to stabilize the potentials of carbon and oxygen in zones divided by sintering,delubrication,and cooling.Chromium and manganese,which are sensitive to oxygen,were added to improve mechanical properties in a cost-effective way.Powders of steel containing chromium were sintered in an atmosphere composed of CO,O_(2),and H_(2).The effects of atmosphere,lubricant,and graphite on oxidation(or reduction)and decarburization(or carburization)were investigated.Superior quality was achieved under the control of delubrication atmosphere.It is indicated that in a protective atmosphere,the chemical reactions occurring at various stages took remarkable effect on the quality of sintered compact.The potentials of oxygen and carbon in a continuous belt furnace were monitored and analyzed using an on-line thermal measuring unit consisting of thermocouple,oxygen probe,and carbon monoxide sensor.The avoidance of oxidation and decarburization promises desired micro structure and carbon content and satisfactory properties through the adjustment of technical parameters,e.g.,the composition of gases in delubrication and various sintering zones,the rate of gas inlet,and cooling rate.

Sintering of transparent Nd:YAG ceramics in oxygen atmosphere

Yttrium aluminum garnet （YAG） transparent ceramics were fabricated by sintering at oxygen atmosphere. Tetraethyl orthosilicate （TEOS） was added as the sintering additive to control the grain growth and densification. Pores were eliminated clearly at temperature lower than 1700oC, while grain size was around 3 μm. The in-line transmittance was 80% at 1064 nm when samples were sintered at 1710oC. The effect of TEOS was studied in oxygen atmosphere sintering for Nd：YAG transparent ceramics. At higher temperature like 1710oC, the grain growth mechanism was solute drag, while at 1630 and 1550 oC the grain growth was controlled by liquid phase sintering mechanism. And 0.5 wt.% TEOS was the best adding content for Nd：YAG sintered in oxygen atmosphere.

High performance hydroxyapatite ceramics and a triply periodic minimum surface structure fabricated by digital light processing 3D printing

High performance hydroxyapatite(HA)ceramics with excellent densification and mechanical properties were successfully fabricated by digital light processing(DLP)three-dimensional(3D)printing technology.It was found that the sintering atmosphere of wet C02 can dramatically improve the densification process and thus lead to better mechanical properties.HA ceramics with a relative density of 97.12%and a three-point bending strength of 92.4 MPa can be achieved at a sintering temperature of 1300℃,which makes a solid foundation for application in bone engineering.Furthermore,a relatively high compressive strength of 4.09 MPa can be also achieved for a DLP-printed p-cell triply periodic minimum surface(TPMS)structure with a porosity of 74%,which meets the requirement of cancellous bone substitutes.A further cell proliferation test demonstrated that the sintering atmosphere of wet CO2 led to improve cell vitality after 7 days of cell culture Moreover,with the possible benefit from the bio-inspired structure,the 3D-printed TPMS structure significantly improved the cell vitality,which is crucial for early osteogenesis and osteointegration.

Defect engineering of BCZT-based piezoelectric ceramics with high piezoelectric properties

The intrinsic conduction mechanism and optimal sintering atmosphere of(Ba_(0.85)Ca_(0.15))(Zr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9))O_(3)(BCZT)ceramics were regulated by Mn-doping element in this work.By Hall and impedance analysis,the undoped BCZT ceramics exhibit a typical n-type conduction mechanism,and the electron concentration decreases with the increasing oxygen partial pressure.Therefore,the undoped ceramics exhibit best electrical properties(piezoelectrical constant<733=585 pC·N^(-1),electro-mechanical coupling factor k_(p)=56%)in O_(2).A handful of Mn-doping element would transfer the conduction mechanism from n-type into p-type.And the hole concentration reduces with the decreasing oxygen partial pressure for Mn-doped BCZT ceramics.Therefore,the Mn-doped ceramics sintered in N_(2)have the highest insulation resistance and best piezoelectric properties(d_(33)=505 pC·N^(-1),k_(p)=50%).The experimental results demonstrate that the Mn-doping element can effectively adjust the intrinsic conduction mechanism and then predict the optimal atmosphere.

Efficient and cost-effective method to synthesize highly purified Ti_(4)AlN_(3) and Ti_(2)AlN

Nitrides MAX have attracted ever-growing interest owing to its unique metallic and ceramic characteristics and properties.Here,we report on the synthesis of highly purified Ti_(2)AlN and Ti_(4)AlN_(3) powders from Ti,Al and TiN powders by a facile atmosphere sintering method.The obtained nitrides show highly pure phase and excellent layered structure.Except for the composition difference of raw materials,both the nitrides can be sintered and obtained by same sintering temperature and holding time,which thus makes less processing time and less usage of synthesis parameters as compared to previously synthesis methods.To our knowledge,present work is one of the few reports on synthesis of Ti_(4)AlN_(3) and Ti_(2)AlN using atmosphere sintering method.Furthermore,the lattice changes of the layered structure of Ti_(2)AlX(X/C=N)were studied by changing the composition of X position from the synthesis of Ti_(2)AlCN and Ti_(2)AlC,and the optimal formulation and synthesis mechanism of Ti_(4)AlN_(3) were also studied.