Opaque Silica Glass Fabricated Slip Casting and Sintering (Part 3)

Evaluation of Physical, Chemical and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Physical, chemical and mechanical properties of opaque silica glass fabricated by the slip casting method were evaluated and compared with commercial products manufactured by the fusion method. The slip casting sample contained a large number of small bubbles, and exhibited a higher light scattering coefficient and higher ability as a thermal radiation barrier. These features were well described in terms of the variation of the total surface area of bubbles per unit volume. Due to the smaller size of the bubbles, other properties such as bending strength, surface roughness and chemical durability, were considerably improved as compared to those of the fusion samples.