The fabrication of a mullite-bonded cordierite body suitable for use as kiln furniture has been investigated in this article. First of all cordierite powder was synthesized by mixing tale, kaolin and alumina as starting materials, pressing and firing up to 1325 degrees C. The amount of cordierite phase was estimated by an X-ray diffraction technique. The synthesized cordierite was then mixed with certain amounts of kaolin and alumina as the starting materials for mullite formation and the mixture was shaped by a pressing method, following by firing at different temperatures. The changes of density, porosity and cold crushing strength of the samples were measured as a function of heat treatment temperature. The results showed that these properties improve by a rise in temperature. The mullite formation within the samples was confirmed by an XRD method. The thermal expansion coefficient of the samples fired at 1350 degrees C was determined by a dilatometer having an average value of 3.18x10(-6)(1/K), which indicates an excellent thermal shock resistant for the samples. The microstructure of the fired samples was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed interesting results.

Keywords: cordierite; mullite; physical properties; micostructure