In order to improve the bending strength of mullite ceramic thin tiles, SiO₂-ZnO-Na₂O-Y₂O₃ glass was prepared on the surface of the tiles. The influences of the thermal properties and thermal expansion coefficient of the glass and the sintering temperature on the structure and the property of the composites were investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bending strength of the composites was measured with an universal testing machine. Results show that the crystallization temperature of the SiO₂-ZnO-Na₂O-Y₂O₃ glass is higher than that of SiO₂-ZnO-Na₂O glass. The corresponding crystallites show more complex structure for the SiO₂-ZnO-Na₂O-Y₂O₃ glass. The thermal expansion coefficients of both glasses are lower than the mullite ceramic tiles. The bending strength of the composites after sintering at 1150°C was obviously improved by 10.7% to 106.2 MPa, compared with the mullite ceramic tiles.

Glass Ceramics, Mullite Ceramics Thin Tile, Composites, Bending Strength

Y. Liu, J. Huang, X. Wang, Q. Yang, Y. Wang, P. Rao and Q. Wang, "Research on the High Strength Glass Ceramics/Mullite Ceramics Composites," New Journal of Glass and Ceramics, Vol. 1 No. 2, 2011, pp. 53-57. doi: 10.4236/njgc.2011.12009.