Synergistic effect of glass fibre and Al powder on the mechanical properties of glass-ceramics

To explore the synergistic effect of glass fibre and Al powder on the mechanical properties of glass-ceramics, blast furnace slag was chosen as the main material, and glass fibre and Al powder as reinforcement materials. The phase compositions, microstructures, compressive properties, and apparent density of the glass-ceramics with varying quantities of glass fibre and Al powder were investigated. The experimental results indicated that Al powder could exist as a simple substance in glass-ceramics and form a dense net coating on the surface of blast furnace slag to improve the plasticity of the glass-ceramic. The glass fibre had better reinforcement effect than Al powder because of its extremely high mechanical strength. The plasticity of glass-ceramics, however, severely decreased; the glass-ceramics exhibited brittle failure during compression. A slight increase in the content of CaSi2 and SiO2 in the glass-ceramics was closely related to the addition of glass fibre. Considering safety and economy, glass-ceramics with 6% Al and 14% glass fibre (S4) have the best mechanical properties. The compressive strength, strain at maximum force, and apparent density were 40 MPa, 19% and 1.974 g/cm3, respectively.