Fabrication and characterization of anorthite-based ceramic using mineral raw materials

The purpose of this study is to design a novel single crystalline phase ceramic based on anorthite whose properties fulfill the tableware market requirements such as high appearance quality, strength and thermal shock resistance. To obtain the single phase anorthite ceramic, ball clay, quartz, calcite, feldspar and alumina were used as raw materials. The single phase anorthite ceramic was fabricated by slip casting and sintering at 1230 degrees C furl h. It has a high flexural strength of 103 MPa, which is higher than that of the conventional porcelain. The single phase anorthite ceramic had relatively low (4.9 x 10(-6) K-1) thermal expansion coefficient which can be matched with applicable glaze easily. Furthermore, the single phase anorthite ceramic had high degree of whiteness (L* = 94) and excellent translucency behavior which could achieve a high-quality decorative effect. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.