Evaluation of Kalalani Vermiculite for Production of High Strength Porcelain Insulators

Abstract

The present work has evaluated Kalalani vermiculite as a potential raw material for the production of high strength porcelain insulators. Three porcelain compositions were prepared to contain 0, 20 and 30 wt% of Kalalani vermiculite. Porcelain samples were fabricated using a semi-drying method. The chemical, mineralogical phases and microstructural characterization of the raw materials were carried out using XRF, XRD, and SEM techniques, respectively. Water absorption, bulk density, dielectric and bending strengths were performed on porcelain samples fired up to 1300 oC. However, at the sintering temperature of 1250 oC, the porcelain sample with 20 wt% of Kalalani vermiculite gave the dielectric strength of 61.3 kV/mm, bending strength of 30.54 MPa, bulk density of 2.21 g/cm3 and low water absorption value of 0.21 % which is the prerequisite properties for high strength porcelain insulators. It was therefore concluded that Kalalani vermiculite has the potential to be used for the production of high strength porcelain insulators.