Thermal behaviour and structural transformations of andalusite-rich aluminous nodules from Morocco

Mullite is the only stable phase of the Al2O3-SiO2 system. It is credited with a high technological interest in the ceramic refractories domain due to its excellent thermal properties, chemical inertia and mechanical behaviour at high temperature. Mullite can be synthesized by different ways, and also by the thermal transformation of natural aluminosilicates, namely the andalusite. A physico-chemical characterization of scattered andalusite crystals has been achieved The thermal behaviour and the different phase transformations have been investigated for temperatures up to 1450 degreesC.