Characterising the sintering behaviour of pulverised fuel ash using heating stage microscopy

Heating stage microscopy was used to investigate the sintering behaviour of pulverised fuel ash (PFA). The effect of chemical composition, heating rate, maximum temperature and metal inclusions on densification was studied. It was confirmed that dimensional changes of PFA powder compacts can be controlled by selecting appropriate conditions of sintering temperature and heating rate. It was also found that the sintering behaviour of PFA can be modified with the addition of metal inclusions. The results suggest that development of pores and microstructure of lightweight aggregates (LWA) manufactured from PFA can be controlled by changing the key sintering parameters such as temperature, time and heating rate.