HE Feng, XU Xi, Qi Hao, TIAN Shasha, WEN Jin, XIE Junlin
( State Key Laboratory of Silicate Material for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, China )

Abstract: Domestic ceramics, with chemical composition K₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂, was the research object in this paper. The oxygen-enriched atmosphere was utilized to sinter ceramics. The effects of K₂O content and oxygen concentration changes on the microstructure of the ceramics were studied using XRD, SEM and other modern testing methods; their impact on ceramic performance was studied through performance tests on bending strength, density, etc. Results of these experiments and tests show the increase in the K₂O content in a ceramic component and the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere leads to improved crystallization of the ceramic body and increased density and flexural strength. Compared with the conventional air, the oxygen-enriched atmosphere could effectively shorten the sintering cycle and contribute to energy-saving and emission-reduction.
Key words: oxygen-enriched atmosphere; O₂concentration; K₂O content