• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제56권7호
• /
• pp.2767-2774
• /
• 2024

In this study, investment casting shell waste successfully utilized to produce cordierite/mullite/zircon composites. Green pellets, consisting of investment casting shell waste, alumina, and magnesia, were prepared and sintered at temperatures between 1250 and 1350 ℃. The influence of the sintering temperature on the crystalline phase composition, densification behavior, flexural strength, microstructure, and radiation shielding properties of the cordierite/mullite/zircon composites is investigated. Phase analysis showed that characteristic cordierite peaks appear at 1250 ℃, but the complete conversation of silica from investment casting shell waste into cordierite requires a sintering temperature of at least 1300 ℃. Notably, the cordierite/mullite/zircon composite sintered at 1350 ℃ exhibited a sixfold increase in flexural strength compared to the ceramic composite directly fabricated from investment casting shell waste at the same sintering temperature. Furthermore, the effect of Y₂O₃ addition on composites' radiation shielding properties is investigated. The results show that the Y₂O₃ addition improves densification behavior, enhancing the shielding capabilities of the composites against fast neutron and gamma radiation. Our findings suggest that the developed ceramic composites show significant potential for gamma-ray and neutron shielding applications.