High-Density Ceramics Obtained By Andesite Basalt Sintering

Modern industrial requirements include not only the usage of constructive materials with good mechanical properties but also materials obtained through environmentally friendly and low-cost processing procedures. Basalt, as a low-cost raw material, is regarded as a good candidate for industrial constructive parts production. In the present study, andesite basalt originated from the deposit site "Donje Jarinje", Serbia, was examined as a potential raw material for high-density ceramics production. The production of high-density ceramics included dry milling, homogenization, cold isostatic pressing, and sintering in the air. To determine the optimal processing parameters the sintering was conducted at 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, and 1080 °C, and afterward the sintering duration was varied from 30 to 240 min at the optimal sintering temperature of 1060 °C. Characterization of the starting and sintered materials included the estimation of particle size distribution, density, hardness, and fracture toughness complemented with X-ray diffraction, light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. Phase transformations did not occur during processing in the investigated temperature range from 1040 to 1080 °C. The obtained research results showed that 99.5% of relative density and the highest hardness and fracture toughness values of 6.7 GPa and 2.2 MPaÖm, respectively, were achieved for the andesite basalt sintered at 1060 °C for 60 min in the air. The results of the presented study confirmed that the sintered andesite basalt can be used as a high-density ceramic material for various industrial applications since this environmentally friendly material shows satisfactory mechanical properties.