MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF COLLOIDAL SILICA BONDED MAGNESITE CASTABLE REFRACTORIES

In this study Al-5 (Vol) % SiCp nanocomposite powder has been successfully synthesized by high-energy planetary milling of Al and SiC powders for a period of 25 h at a ball-to-powder ratio of 15:1. The changes of the lattice strain, the crystallite size of the matrix phase, and the nanocomposite powder microstructure with time have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray mapping, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The morphologies of the nanocomposite powders obtained after 25 h of milling have also been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that nanocomposite powders were composed of near-spherical particles and, moreover, the SiC particles were uniformly distributed in the aluminum matrix.