Influence of Distinctive Firing Temperatures on Composite Mechanics of Rice Husk Ash and Stream Sediments

Abstract:

Fire-clay blocks were prepared using clay-size sediments from Phong River sieved through mesh number 200 (74 μm) mixed with Rice Husk Ash (RHA) at various ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3. The clay blocks were cast in a cylindrical mold and fired at 900, 1,000, 1,100, and 1,200°C. A uniaxial compressive test was carried out for all types of specimens acquired from different firing temperatures. In addition, imaging characteristics of the samples were also analyzed using various spectroscopy techniques. Results showed that the compressive strength, and elastic modulus of fired-clay blocks present a linear relationship when compared between two firing temperatures of 900 and 1,200°C but dramatically fluctuates at firing temperatures between 1,000 and 1,100°C. The primary conclusion is that the strength of the fired-clay blocks is governed by the quartz-tridymite-cristobalite phase transformation. It was found that cristobalite transforms from tridymite at temperatures as low as 1,100°C which strongly disagrees with the theoretical temperature of 1,470°C. This can be explained from the presence of RHA in the composite. When sintered, organic carbon in RHA changes into carbon dioxide gas and volatile matters leaving interstitial voids that allow the vibrating atoms of the silica to realign into more open cubic crystal lattices of the cristobalite form. Only when the firing temperature reaches 1,200°C where cristobalite transformation is complete does the strength relationship become more linear with firing temperature.

• Periodical: Defect and Diffusion Forum (Volume 445)
• Pages: 211-222
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-MoqWD4
• Online since: December 2025
• Authors: Kritika Trakoolngam, Sarunya Promkotra*
• Keywords: Composite Mechanics, Fired-Clay Blocks, Phase Transformation, Phong River, Rice Husk Ash (RHA), Stream Sediments

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