Study on the effects of milling time and sintering temperature on the sinterability of forsterite (Mg2SiO4)

Abstract

Synthesis of phase-pure forsterite (Mg2SiO4) is a challenging process that requires multiple steps including careful heat treatment and ball milling. In this work, the effects of temperature, time and ball milling duration in synthesizing forsterite powder were investigated. A comparison of 1000 and 1200°C heat treatment temperature with 1 min, 1, and 2 h of holding time during heat treatment was conducted. In addition, 1, 5, 7, and 10 h of milling time were selected as variables to identify optimum conditions for completion of reaction in forming pure forsterite powder. Based on the X-ray diffraction results, 1200°C heat treatment, 2 h of holding time, and 7 h of milling successfully produced single phase forsterite powders with crystallite size of 41 nm. The forsterite powder was compacted and sintered at temperatures ranging from 1200 to 1500°C. The highest hardness and fracture toughness of 7.11 GPa and 4.88MPam1/2 were achieved when sintered at 1400°C, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest relative density of 91% was obtained for the sample sintered at 1500°C. © 2015 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved.