Corrugated glass-ceramics from LZSA cast tapes

The aim of this work was to fabricate corrugated lightweight structures from green tapes of Li2O-ZrO2-SiO2-Al2O3 (LZSA) glass-ceramics. The green tapes were cast, thermopressed, corrugated, and sintered at 800 degrees C for 1 h, yielding low porous and homogenous microstructures confirmed by electron microscopy analysis. Dilatometric analysis demonstrated three linear regions, each one exhibiting a specific thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) in the 25-800 degrees C temperature range. It was also concluded that 600 degrees C was the critical temperature above which the LZSA glass-ceramic structure could not be assembled. The fabricated bodies were also characterized macroscopically and geometrically to verify the integrity and the morphology of the structures. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.