Sintering and crystallization of plates prepared from coarse glass ceramic frits

The focus of this study was the development of a CAS glass-ceramic (14.0CaO·5.5Al2O3.80·5SiO2) for use in civil engineering as a decorative material. This glass-ceramic system was chosen because it can be used to produce plates with a similar appearance to those of marble and granite materials. Ceramic plates were produced by the Grain Glass Sintering process from frits with a coarse grain size (2.1 mm average particle size). Powder frit samples (5.3-μm average particle size) were prepared and characterized. The results were compared with those obtained with coarse particles. Thermal treatment was performed in one stage, with the heating rate varying from 2 to 25 °C min−1. Temperatures were defined by differential thermal analysis and heating microscopy. With these results, it was possible to establish correlations among the esthetic effects, the microstructure, and the heat treatment conditions (temperature, heating rate, and holding time). The relative density ranged from 0.92 to 0.96. The formation of wollastonite and pseudowollastonite was observed. An esthetic effect similar to that of natural marble was more apparent in those samples in which the microstructure presented a visual contrast between the bulk and the coarse frit. Lower heating rates intensified the visual contrast and reduced porosity near the surface regions.