Herein, we investigate the influence of silica particle morphology on the mechanical properties and crystallization of ceramic cores, showing that the above factor influences the mixing, flow, and sintering (1200 oC, 12 h) behavior of feedstock. Ceramic cores were fabricated using angular and spherical silica particles, and their performance was evaluated by feedstock viscosity, flexural strength, shrinkage, apparent porosity, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The above analyses revealed that cristobalite was readily formed on spherical particles, and the corresponding core exhibited lower viscosity, improved flexural strength (1.7-fold) and reduced shrinkage (by as much as 15%) compared to those of the core comprising angular particles.

Keywords: Ceramic core, Fused silica, Particle morphology, Strength