Effect of aluminum addition on microstructure and properties of SiO2-B2O3-Al2O3-CaO vitrified bond

Influence of aluminum addition on the structures and properties of SiO2-B2O3-Al2O3-CaO vitrified bond at low sintering temperature and high strength was discussed. FTIR and XRD analyses were used to characterize the structures of the basic vitrified bond with different contents of aluminum. The bending strength and the thermal expansion coefficients were also tested. Meanwhile, the microstructures of composite specimens at sintering temperature of 660 °C were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The experimental results showed that the properties of vitrified bond with 1wt% aluminum were improved significantly, where the bending strength, Rockwell hardness, and thermal expansion coefficient of the vitrified bond reached 132 MPa, 63 HRB, and 6.73×10-6 °C-1, respectively.