The effect of Temperature and SiC Content on the Properties and Microstructure of Foam Glasses obtained from the Wasted Cathode Ray Tube Display Panels

In this paper, the properties and microstructure of foam glasses obtained from the wasted cathode ray tube (CRT) display panels were investigated. The foam glasses were prepared at the temperatures of 850, 950 and 1050C using 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt.% silicon carbide (SiC) as the foaming agent. The physical and mechanical properties of the samples including the density, porosity, four-point bending strength were evaluated in this research. The microstructures of samples were examined by means of a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that SiC as the foaming agent is able to control the pore size and also to cause a narrow distribution of pores in the microstructures. The decomposition of SiC in the presence of oxygen at the temperature of 950C led to the formation of gas bubbles and therefore, the foam glass was produced. The sample with 6 wt.% SiC exhibited the highest amount of porosity (about to 55%) and relatively uniform microstructure after being sintered at 950C for 1 hour. The four-point bending strength of the latter sample was measured to be 12 MPa. The properties and microstructure of this sample were found to be comparable with those of the commercial samples