IMPROVEMENT OF POROUS ALUMINA STRENGTH BY RECOATING TECHNIQUE

C. Darong, Ahmad Fauzi M. N., M. Nareth, S. Etsuo and S. R. Kasim*

Abstract

IMPROVEMENT OF POROUS ALUMINA STRENGTH BY RECOATING TECHNIQUE

1. Darong¹, Ahmad Fauzi M. N.¹, M. Nareth², S. Etsuo³ and S. R. Kasim^1*

1School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

2Department of Rural Engineering, Institute of Technology of Cambodia, Russian Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

3Materials & Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

ABSTRACT

Porous alumina has been widely used in engineering applications. In this study, a recoating technique was conducted in order to improve the strength of porous alumina produced by polymeric sponge method, which normally having low strength. In this technique, two steps of coating process were carried out. In the first recoating, solid loadings with three different compositions (50, 60 and 70 wt.%) were used. In the second coating, only slurry with 50 wt.% of solid loadings was used. Samples were dried at 80 ^oC for 24hours and sintered at temperature of 1500 ^oC for both first coating and second coating. The results showed that the compressive strength of porous alumina was improved up to 1.9 MPa by applying this technique.

Keywords: Polymeric sponge method, recoating technique