Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of Sintered Leucite Body

Abstract

Fine leucite powder with an average diameter of 0.2 μm was fabricated by the low-temperature synthesis method for leucite using natural mineral potash feldspar as the major raw material, followed by ball milling. A sintered leucite body with a 99.0% relative density was obtained by heating the leucite powder cylindrical pellet at 1250°C for 1 h. The mechanical properties of this dense leucite body were determined. The bending strength, fracture toughness, elastic modulus and Vickers hardness of the body were 173 MPa, 2.3 MPa•m^1/2, 63 GPa and 5.3 GPa, respectively.