Effect of different sources of alumina on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the triaxial porcelain

Porcelains composed of kaolin-quartz-feldspar are called triaxial porcelains. The use of alumina as a substitute for quartz in porcelains has been developed for some time. The results show a significant improvement in their mechanical properties, but alumina has a high cost. The possibility of using alternative materials as a source of alumina with lower cost was investigated. In this work, alternative raw materials were used as a source of alumina: refractory bauxite, primary aluminum hydroxide, reprecipitated aluminum hydroxide. Compositions with commercial alumina and quartz were also formulated to better understand the effects of adding these alternative materials. The raw materials were milled, dried, and characterized by analysis of the particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence. The compositions were formulated by replacing the different sources of alumina in the formulation of porcelain. The compositions studied were shaped by pressing and sintered at different temperatures (1150-1400 ºC). The results showed that the use of bauxite and aluminum hydroxide as an alternative source of Al2O3 is viable. The impurities contained in refractory bauxite contributed to the lower values of flexural strength found in compositions having refractory bauxite as a source of alumina. The compositions with reprecipitated aluminum hydroxide showed a high mechanical resistance at low sintering temperatures, while compositions with aluminum hydroxide obtained by the Bayer process achieved good results of mechanical strength in a wide temperature range.