Abstract
In manufacturing process of porous glass-ceramics by the filler method, the sintering behaviour of crystallizable glass powder mixed with various salts was studied and also the effects of precipitated crystal phases on the properties of porous glass-ceramics were investigated. Fine-grained crystallizable glass powder was homogeneously mixed with various slat having grain size 100~200 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and sintered for densification. After washing out the inorganic salt with distilled water, the porous sintered body was heat treated additionly for crystallization. The MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 base glass was used as crystallizable glass powder and the water soluble salts such as K2SO4 and MgSO4 were used as filler. When K2SO4 was used, leucite crystal phase was formed as a result of the ion exchange and porous glass-ceramics which exhibit high temperature resistance and high thermal expansion coefficient of 17$\times$10-6/$^{\circ}C$ could be obtained. On the contrary, when MgSO4 was used, only slight ion exchange is observed and $\mu$-cordierite and $\alpha$-cordierite crystal phases were formed and porous glass-ceramics which exhibit low thermal expansion coefficient schedule were determined with the results of DTA curves, thermal shrinkage curves and XRD patterns analysis. From DTA curves and thermal shrinkage curves, it was found that the sintering densification have been completed at the temperature range of exothermic peak for crystallization. The pore size distributions and pore diameters were measured by mercury porosimeter. The pore diameter of porous glass-ceramics was 10~15 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ when 100~200${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ grain size of K2SO4 was used and it was 25~30 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ when the same grain size of MgSO4 was used. The porous glass-ceramics K2SO4 used shows bimodal pore size distribution and its porous skeleton structure was ascertained by SEM observation.