The effect of silica binder content on the mechanical properties of zircon shell mold was investigated. Content of binder silica sol to refractory powder in weight[$R_W$] was adjusted from 0.18 to 0.43. Sintering of the shell mold was carried out in t...
The effect of silica binder content on the mechanical properties of zircon shell mold was investigated. Content of binder silica sol to refractory powder in weight[$R_W$] was adjusted from 0.18 to 0.43. Sintering of the shell mold was carried out in the temperature range of $871^{\circ}C$ to $1400^{\circ}C$. Green strength of the shell mold at room temperature increased with increasing $R_W$ and sintering temperature up to $1300^{\circ}C$. However, the mold with $R_W$ of 0.43 that sintered at $1400^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours showed relatively low strength and large level of porosity. The mechanical behavior of the shells is supposed to attributed to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between refractory powder and binder silica. The optimum value of $R_W$ for zircon-based shell molds was found to be 0.33.