Novel mullite‐cordierite ceramic refractory fabricated from halloysite and talc

This research work aims to fabricate industrial refractory bricks using cheap and abundant kaolin DD3 constituted of Halloysite. The fabrication process consists on mixing the crushed raw materials (Kaolin/Clay, Fireclay, Talc) with the respective proportions and an optimized granulometry, shaped by a uniaxial hydrostatic pressure of 250 bars, followed by drying at 100°C and sintering at 1300°C. The addition of Talc ‐ at first with water, Fireclay and AP/DD3‐ as a source of MgO promotes the increase of Cordierite formation (SiO2‐Al2O3‐MgO) in order to obtain high heat resistance shock and reduced thermal expansion. Three assays are studied with AP Clay and DD3 Kaolin weight ratios (100/0, 50/50 and 0/100) % corresponding to (ER0, ER1 and ER2) respectively. Mineralogical analysis results of the new refractory bricks, indicate the presence of Mullite and Cordierite as major phases besides Corundum and Quartz as minor phases. All products (ER0, ER1 and ER2) are found to be argillaceous refractory with Alumina concentration (40