Design and Development of Isostatic Mould for Ceramic Pebbles

Abstract

Nowadays ceramics article are replacing several metal parts due to their high temperature resistance and hardness. To produce this articles, raw materials which are in the rocky form are being milled in a ball mill in which the matter is converted into a ceramic slurry. This ball mills used the potential of spherical ceramic objects known as “pebbles” which due to impact with the material pulverizes and reduce the size of the rocks. These pebbles are made up of high alumina material and have very high hardness. This are produced by isostatic pressing of the spray dried powder due to which homogeneous pressure and high density can be obtained. However, the pressing cycle for this product is very slow and the pressure achieved are also less. Due to which the cost of the pebbles is high and since the item comes under consumable item, the cost of it affects the final product.

In this project, a solution to this problem is proposed by designing and developing a isostatic mould without rotary seal and easy installation without affecting the density of the green product.