Determination of fluxing agents mixing ratio for enhancing thermal shock resistance of ceramic Raschig ring via a systematic approach

Fluxing agents are frequently used to reduce the sintering temperature in manufacturing ceramic products. In this investigation the mixture design algorithm and response surface analysis were selected to screen a large number of sintering data. The effect of fluxing agents on thermal characteristics of ceramic body was evaluated. In order to achieve the objective of study, the mixtures were formulated using clay, nepheline syenite and talc, normally used as fluxing agents. The specimens were fabricated by extrusion in the form of Raschig ring and sintering at 1180, 1190 and 1200 °C. The behaviors of specimens were evaluated by determination of shrinkage, porosity and thermal shock resistance according to standard procedures. The results indicated that the optimum thermal shock resistance can be achieved in the presence of 1.0 wt.% nepheline syenite and 3.0 wt.% talc. The obtained results can be useful in industrial applications.