Effect of Anorthite on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Bone China Bodies

Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and anorthite are the main crystalline components in bone china bodies. The difference in their thermal expansion coefficients causes a decrease in the thermal shock resistance of the body. In this study, anorthite was replaced with bone ash in the bone china body, and the effect of this change was studied on different properties of bone china after sintering at 1260°C for 3 h. The results showed that the physical and mechanical properties of the sample containing 50 wt.% anorthite compared to the typical bone china was improved and only 8.7% of the whiteness index was lost in this process. Also, the microstructure of anorthite samples, studied with SEM, showed no thermal cracks and revealed a uniform distribution of crystalline phase in the heterogeneous glass matrix.