Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties of foamed glass-ceramics prepared from high-titanium blast furnace slag and waste glass

Foamed glass-ceramics were prepared via a single-step sintering method using high-titanium blast furnace slag and waste glass as the main raw materials The influence of sintering temperature(900–1060℃) on the microstructure and properties of foamed glass-ceramics was studied. The results show that the crystal shape changed from grainy to rod-shaped and finally turned to multiple shapes as the sintering temperature was increased from 900 to 1060℃. With increasing sintering temperature, the average pore size of the foamed glass-ceramics increased and subsequently decreased. By contrast, the compressive strength and the bulk density decreased and subsequently increased. An excessively high temperature, however, induced the coalescence of pores and decreased the compressive strength. The optimal properties, including the highest compressive strength(16.64 MPa) among the investigated samples and a relatively low bulk density(0.83 g/cm^3), were attained in the case of the foamed glass-ceramics sintered at 1000℃.

Influence of CeO_2 addition on the preparation of foamed glass-ceramics from high-titanium blast furnace slag

Foamed glass-ceramics doped with cerium oxide（CeO_2）were successfully prepared from high-titanium blast furnace slag by one-step sintering.The influence of CeO_2 addition（1.5wt%–3.5wt%）on the crystalline phases,microstructure,and properties of foamed glass-ceramics was studied.Results show that CeO_2 improves the stability of the glass phase and changes the two-dimensional crystallization mechanism into three-dimensional one.XRD analysis indicates the presence of Ca（Mg,Fe）Si_2O_6 and Ca（Ti,Mg,Al）（Si,Al）_2O_（6 ）in all sintered samples.Added with CeO_2,Ti CeO_4 precipitates,and crystallinity increases,leading to increased thickness of pore walls and uniform pores.The comprehensive properties of foamed glass-ceramics are better than that of samples without CeO_2.In particular,the sample added with a suitable amount of CeO_2（2.5wt%）exhibits bulk density that is similar to and compressive strength（14.9 MPa）that is more than twice of foamed glass-ceramics without CeO_2.

Tensile property of Al-Si closed-cell aluminum foam

Al-Si closed-cell aluminum foams of different densities were prepared by molten body transitional foaming process.The tensile behavior of Al-Si closed-cell aluminum foam was studied and the influence of relative densities on the tensile strength and elastic modulus was also researched.The results show that the fracture surfaces of Al-Si closed-cell aluminum foam display quasi-cleavage fracture consisting of brittle cleavages and ductile dimples.The tensile strength and elastic modulus are strictly affected by the relative density of Al-Si closed-cell aluminum foam.With increasing relative density,the tensile strength increases and the strain at which the peak strength is measured also increases;in addition,the elastic modulus increases with increasing relative density.

Red mud and fly ash-based ceramic foams using starch and manganese dioxide as foaming agent

Ceramic foams were prepared using red mud and fly ash as raw materials with sodium borate as sintering aid agent,starchand MnO2as foaming agent,respectively.The influence of the amount of starch or MnO2on the crystalline phase,pore morphologyand physical–chemical porosities was studied.The results showed that the main crystal phases of samples with starch addition andMnO2addition were sodalite phase Na6(AlSiO4)6and Na8(SiAlO4)6MnO4,respectively.The SEM images showed that the variation ofporous structure was mainly dominated by the addition of foaming agent.With the increase of foaming agent,the samples exhibitedbetter comprehensive properties:bulk density of0.59?0.96g/cm3,porosity of41.82%?63.51%,water absorption of3.16%?9.17%,compressive strength of4.22?8.38MPa,flexural strength of2.44?5.82MPa,acid resistance of95.59%?99.60%,alkali resistance of99.82%?99.99%.Based on these properties,the ceramic foams can be used in building field.

Phase evolution and properties of glass ceramic foams prepared by bottom ash,fly ash and pickling sludge

Municipal solid waste incineration products of bottom ash(BA),fly ash(FA),and pickling sludge(PS),causing severe environ-mental pollution,were transformed into glass ceramic foams with the aid of CaCO3 as a pore-foaming agent during sintering.The effect of the BA/FA mass ratio on the phase composition,pore morphology,pore size distribution,physical properties,and glass structure was investigated,with results showing that with the increase in the BA/FA ratio,the content of the glass phase,Si-O-Si,and Q3Si units decrease gradually.The glass transmission temperature of the mixture was also reduced.When combined,the glass viscosity decreases,causing bubble coalescence and uneven pore distribution.Glass ceramic foams with uniform spherical pores are fabricated.When the content of BA,FA,and PS are 35wt%,45wt%,and 20wt%,respectively,contributing to high performance glass ceramic foams with a bulk density of 1.76 g/cm3,porosity of 56.01%,and compressive strength exceeding 16.23 MPa.This versatile and low-cost approach provides new insight into synergistically recycling solid wastes.

Preparation of Ceramic Foams Suitable for Aircraft Arresting by the Airport Runway Based on a Protein Foaming Agent

Crushable ceramic foams are more suitable to be used as an arrestor material applied in engineered materials arresting system （EMAS） for airport runway for their properties of widely controllable strength, negligible crushing-rebounding behavior, durability, and chemically-inert composition, comparing with traditional concrete foams. The synthesis of ceramic foams adopted direct-foaming method and used an animal protein as foaming agent. Kaolin, talc powder and alumina were the main raw materials. Effects of the ratios of raw materials, calcination temperatures, heating rates, holding time, viscosities of potyvinyl alcohol （PVA） solution as well as the amounts of protein foaming agent and water on microscopic structure, densities, compressive strength and open porosities of ceramic foams were investigated systematically. The results indicate that ceramic foams with typical pore sizes 100-300 μm, open porosities from 73.1% to 91.5%, densities from 0.25 to 0.62 g.cm-3, compressive strength from 0.19 to 4.89 MPa, are obtained by properly adjusting the parameters mentioned above. And the mechanical strength meets the requirement for the EMAS for airport runway. In addition, good correlations are observed among compressive strength, open porosity, microscopic structure, and crystal phase. Furthermore, the possibility of producing the general dimensions of such aircraft arresting components with the proposed method was also discussed.

Thermal properties of closed-cell aluminum foams prepared by melt foaming technology

Closed-cell aluminum foam has incomparable advantages over other traditional materials for thermal insulation and heatpreservation because of small thermal conductivity coefficient. Spherical bubble three-dimensional model of aluminum foam is builtto deduce the relationship among pore wall thickness, porosity and average pore size. Non-uniform closed-cell foam aluminummodel with different structural parameters and random pore distribution is established based on the relationship via C programminglanguage. And the temperature distribution is analyzed with ANSYS software. Results indicate that thermal conductivity increaseswith the reducing of porosity. For the aluminum foam with the same porosity, different pore distributions result in different thermalconductivities. The temperature distribution in aluminum foam is non-uniform, which is closely related with the pore size anddistribution. The pores which extend or distribute along the direction perpendicular to heat flow strengthen obstructive capability forheat flow. When pores connect along the direction perpendicular to heat flow, a “wall of high thermal resistance” appears to declinethe thermal conductivity rapidly, which shows that only porosity cannot completely determine effective thermal conductivity ofclosed-cell aluminum foam.

Compressive and energy absorption properties of closed-cell magnesium foams

The quasi-static compressive mechanical behavior and deformation mechanism of closed-cell magnesium foams were studied, and the ef- fects of the density of magnesium foams on the compressive and energy absorption properties were also discussed. The results show that the compressive process of closed-cell magnesium foams is characterized by three deformation stages： linear elastic stage, collapsing stage and densification stage. At the linear elastic stage, the peak compressive strength （t70） and Young＇s modulus （E0） increase as the density increases Magnesium foams can absorb energy at the collapsing stage. In a certain strain range, the energy absorption capacity also increases as the density of magnesium foams increases.

Biaxial mechanical behavior of closed-cell aluminum foam under combined shear-compression loading

Combined shear-compression tests and simulations were performed on a closed-cell aluminum foam over a wide range of loading angles in order to probe their yield behaviors under biaxial loading conditions.Combined shear-compression tests were carried out by using a pair of cylindrical bars with beveled ends.The yield surfaces were experimentally measured and compared with various theoretical yield surface models.The cellular structures of closed-cell aluminum foams were modeled as tetrakaidecahedrons and their biaxial crushing behaviors were simulated by the finite element method.The results show that,yield initiates from the stress-concentrated corners in the specimens under combined shear-compression loading and the stress distribution is no longer uniform at the specimen/bar interfaces.In the range of cell sizes studied,the larger the foam cell size is,the higher the yield stress is.Aluminum foam density is found to be the dominant factor on its mechanical properties compared with the cell size and is much more significant in engineering practice.

Current Status and Application of Ceramic Foam Filter for Aluminum Melt

The importance of purification for aluminum and aluminum alloy casting was outlined. By comparing ceramic foam filters （CFF） in China and overseas, the existing problems and challenges of China＇ s CFF for aluminum were given. Measures to improve the performance of CFF were put forward based on material, preparation process, utility evaluation, etc.

Numerical simulation of excess-enthalpy combustion flame propagation of coal mine methane in ceramic foam

Based on the assumption of a local non-equilibrium of heat transfer between a solid matrix and gas,a mathematic model of coal mine methane combustion in a porous medium was established,as well the solid-gas boundary conditions.We simulated numerically the flame propagation characteristics.The results show that the flame velocity in ceramic foam is higher than that of free laminar flows;the maximum flame velocity depends on the combined effects of a radiation extinction coefficient and convection heat transfer in ceramic foam and rises with an increase in the chemical equivalent ratio.The radiation extinction coefficient cannot be used alone to determine the heat regeneration effects in the design of ceramic foam burners.

A novel technique for making open-cell Al_2O_3-ZrO_2 ceramic foam with plant seed template

The aim of the present research is to provide a technique for preparing open-cell Al2O3-ZrO2 ceramic foams with uniform cell size.This technique used plant seeds to array templates and centrifugal slip casting to obtain cell struts with high packing density.Aqueous Al2O3-ZrO2 slurries with up to 50 vol.% solid contents were prepared and the rheological characteristic of the slurries was investigated.Consolidation was performed at an acceleration of 2,860 g for 60 min.The effect of the characteristic of plant seeds on the drying behavior of Al2O3-ZrO2 green compact was analyzed.The effects of the solid contents of slurries on segregation phenomena of Al2O3 and ZrO2 particles and green compact uniformity were investigated.The compressive stress-strain curve and deformation behavior of Al2O3-ZrO2 ceramic foams prepared using plant seed template were analyzed.The results showed segregation phenomenon is negligible for highly stable slurry with 50 vol.% solid loading.The prepared cell struts of Al2O3-ZrO2 foams have high green density (61.9% TD), sintered density (99.1% TD) and homogeneous microstructure.When sintered at 1,550 ℃ for 2 h, the cell size of Al2O3-ZrO2 foam is approximately uniform and the diameter is about 1.1 mm.The porosity and compressive strength of sintered products is 66.2% and 5.86 MPa, respectively.

Molten Salts/Ceramic-Foam Matrix Composites by Melt Infiltration Method as Energy Storage Material

A new type of high temperature energy storage material was obtained through the melt infiltration method, using compounding SiC ceramic foam as matrix and Na2SO4 as phase change material. The resulting composite material was measured by XRD, SEM, TG-DSC methods. The experimental results indicate that the composite is composed of silicon carbide, sodium sulfate and square quartz, and no chemical reactions occurs between Na2SO4 and SiC matrix. Na2SO4 has a good bonding with the SiC ceramic foam matrix. As the composite material is characterized by high thermal energy storage density and high thermal conductivity, it is suit for energy storage under high temperature.

Synthesis of Biodiesel Using ZrO_2 Polycrystalline Ceramic Foam Catalyst in a Tubular Reactor

With the help of the ceramic foam research efforts and preparation techniques, the ZrO2 polycrystalline ceramic foam catalyst was synthesized, and its characteristics, including the crystal structure, the phase composition, the acid–base properties, and the microstructure, were analyzed by XRD, SEM, Py-IR, and BET techniques. The performance of the ZrO2 polycrystalline ceramic foam catalyst in a tubular reactor was investigated via biodiesel synthesis using S. wilsoniana oil and methanol. The effects of reaction conditions(i.e., reaction temperature, reaction pressure, and volume ratio of methanol to S. wilsoniana oil) on transesterification efficiency were investigated, and the reaction conditions were optimized using RSM. The optimum reaction temperature, reaction pressure, and volume ratio of methanol to S. wilsoniana oil were determined to be 290 ℃, 10 MPa, and 4:1, respectively. Under this condition, the FAME content in the product oil reached 98.38%. The performance of the ZrO2 polycrystalline ceramic foam catalyst synthesized in this work for biodiesel synthesis from S. wilsoniana oil with a moisture content of 7.1% and an acid value of 130.697 mg KOH/g was examined, and the FAME content in the product oil was found to be 93% and 97.67%, respectively. The FAME content in the product oil exceeded 97% after five consecutive cycles(12 h per cycle of use) of the catalyst. The proposed catalyst represents a new type of solid catalyst with excellent acid resistance, water resistance, esterification efficiency, and catalytic stability.

Fatigue analysis of closed-cell aluminium foam using different material models

The fatigue analyses of AlSi7 closed-cell aluminium foam were performed using a real porous model and three different homogenised material models:crushable foam model,isotropic hardening model and kinematic hardening model.The numerical analysis using all three homogenised material models is based on the available experimental results previously determined from fatigue tests under oscillating tensile loading with the stress ratio R=0.1.The obtained computational results have shown that both isotropic and kinematic hardening models are suitable to analyse the fatigue behaviour of closed-cell aluminium foam.Besides,the kinematic hardening material model has demonstrated significantly shorter simulation time if compared to the isotropic hardening material model.On the other hand,the crushable foam model is recognized as an inappropriate approach for the fatigue analyses under tension loading conditions.

Corrosion behavior of SiC foam ceramic reinforced Al-23Si composites in NaCl solution

SiC foam ceramic reinforced aluminum matrix composites(SFCAMCs)were prepared by squeeze casting aluminum alloy(Al-23Si)into the SiC foam ceramic with different pore sizes,and the corrosion behavior of the SFCAMCs was studied in NaCl solutions.Static immersion corrosion tests were conducted at 20°C,50°C and 80°C,respectively.Corrosion morphology and products were analyzed by scanning electron microscope,energy dispersive system and X-ray diffraction.It was found that the corrosion rate of SFCAMCs increases as the temperature rising,and the bigger pore size of SiC foam ceramic reinforcement,the better corrosion resistance of SFCAMCs.

Effects of SiC and MgO on alumina-based ceramic foams filters

Alumina-based foam ceramic filters were fabricated by using alumina,SiC,magnesia powder as major materials.It has been found that this ceramic filter has a uniform macrostructure for filtering molten metals.The influences of SiC and magnesia content,the sintering temperatures on ceramic properties were discussed.Alumina-based foam ceramic filters containing 2.2 mass% magnesia and 7.6 mass% SiC has a compressive strength of 1.36 MPa and a thermal shock resistance of 5 times.Its main phases after 1 hour sintering at 1 500℃ consist of alumina,silicon carbide,spinel and mullite.

Influence of aluminium nitride as a foaming agent on the preparation of foam glass-ceramics from high-titanium blast furnace slag

To effectively reuse high-titanium blast furnace slag （TS）, foam glass-ceramics were successfully prepared by powder sintering at 1000℃. TS and waste glass were used as the main raw materials, aluminium nitride （AIN） as the foaming agent, and borax as the fluxing agent. The influence of the amount of A1N added （lwt%-5wt%） on the crystalline phases, microstructure, and properties of the produced foam glass-ceramics was studied. The results showed that the main crystal phases were perovskite, diopside, and augite. With increasing A1N content, a transformation from diopside to augite occurred and the crystallinity of the pyroxene phases slightly decreased. Initially, the aver- age pore size and porosity of the foam glass-ceramics increased and subsequently decreased; similarly, their bulk density and compressive strength decreased and subsequently increased. The optimal properties were obtained when the foam glass-ceramics were prepared by adding 4wt% AIN.

A study on effects of ceramic foam filter on flow aspect through water modeling experiment

Casting defects that are closely related to entrapped air bubbles and metallic oxides occur very frequently in the sand mold casting process. Many researchers have shown that these defects can be reduced by adopting an appropriate gating system design. However, it is difficult for field engineers to identify a specific gating system that is more appropriate for their products. In this study, we tried to draw a comparison between two gating system designs with and without a ceramic foam filter. The ceramic foam filter was added to the horizontal runner just after the down sprue to prevent air bubble generation and reduce turbulence without a change of gating system design. The water modeling experiment was conducted with four different amounts of the initial volumes of water in the reservoir to verify the effects of initial pouring velocity. The results of the experiment applying the filter showed remarkably changed flow characteristics. The use of the filter was found to convert the flow pattern of water in the desired direction. The ceramic foam filter performed well to reduce flow velocity and stabilize the water stream.The flow pattern without a filter can be improved significantly even with the the use of just a 10 PPI irregular filter. Although the study confirmed that use of the filter may change the flow characteristics, it needs to be noted that the use of the ceramic filter alone cannot solve all the problems caused by a poorly designed gating system.

Predicting model on ultimate compressive strength of Al_2O_3-ZrO_2 ceramic foam filter based on BP neural network

In present study, BP neural network model was proposed for the prediction of ultimate compressive strength of Al2O3-ZrO2 ceramic foam filter prepared by centrifugal slip casting. The inputs of the BP neural network model were the applied load on the epispastic polystyrene template （F）, centrifugal acceleration （v） and sintering temperature （T）, while the only output was the ultimate compressive strength （（7）. According to the registered BP model, the effects of F, v, T on 0 were analyzed. The predicted results agree with the actual data within reasonable experimental error, indicating that the BP model is practically a very useful tool in property prediction and process parameter design of the Al2O3-ZrO2 ceramic foam filter prepared by centrifugal slip casting.