Effect of basalt and silica additives on erosive wear resistance of cast ceramics

This paper focuses on the erosive wear behaviour of cast ceramics with added basalt (fibres, flakes, and powder) and silica (fine and coarse powder). The objective was to obtain inexpensive cast ceramic compositions with improved erosive wear resistance, which can be useful in the production of supporting and/or protective elements for applications in erosive conditions at room and elevated temperatures. Three commercially available cast ceramics (based on SiO sub( 2), Al sub( 2)O sub( 3), and ZrO sub( 2)) without reinforcement as well as reinforced by additives and composites based on liquid glass with additives, were produced and are compared in this work. The obtained samples were assessed for performance in erosive media (particle velocity 20 m*s super( -1); impact angle 30deg; ; temperature 20, 300, and 600 degree C) using a high temperature centrifugal erosion tester. Use of the reinforcing additives increased the wear resistance of the obtained commercial composites by up to 54%. Reinforced cast ceramic based on liquid glass exhibited an up to 73% lower wear rate as compared to a sample of commercially available ceramic at temperatures up to 600 degree C.