Study on Thermal Expansion Coefficient of Sealing Materials for Ceramic Metal Halide Lamps

With Al2O3, Dy2O3, and SiO2 as starting materials, the basic glass of Al2O3-Dy2O3-SiO2 system was prepared by conventional melting technology, and their thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) at different anneal time were investigated. TECs of the basic glass, which were heat-treated under different temperature, were also investigated. The result showed that TECs of the basic glass gradually approached a fixed value as the anneal time was extended, which suggested that most of the inner stress had been eliminated. After heat treatment, the contents of Dy2O3, Dy2Si2O7, and a new crystal increased up to 1200 °C and decreased below 1250 °C, which was consistent with the TEC change of crystallized samples. This suggests that the crystal has a direct effect on TECs of the crystallized samples.