Rheological Characteristics of Highly Concentrated Silica Glass Suspensions for 3D Printing of Refractories

Abstract

The present study investigates the impact of quartz, mullite, spinel, and corundum fillers on the rheological properties and extrudability of silica glass suspension-based compositions. The results indicate that materials containing mullite, spinel, and corundum exhibit dilatant flow behavior, which impedes their use as inks in 3D printing. Conversely, suspensions containing quartz filler display a nonlinear viscoplastic flow. The addition of polyvinyl alcohol to compositions with quartz filler enhances their shape retention factor during extrusion by increasing their yield stress and viscosity.