Browsing by Author "Abindabyamu, Ritah"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Evaluation and optimization of dielectric strength of porcelain insulators containing cattle bone ash as a fluxing material
(Scientific African, 2026-05-26) Abindabyamu, Ritah; Eneku, John Paul; Ochen, William
Environmental pollution from cattle bones has been a major concern of recent. Cattle bones when calcinated at 700 ◦C decompose into lime (CaO) and β-tricalcium Phosphate [Ca3(PO4)2]. CaO has fluxing behavior similar to Na2O and K2O found in feldspar. This study aimed at investigating the dielectric and mechanical properties of porcelain insulators containing cattle bone ash (CBA) as a replacement for feldspar. CBA at 0 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt% and 25 wt% were added. The samples were pressed at 40 MPa and fired at 1000-1250 ◦C. The microstructure and phase analysis of the samples was carried out using scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction method respectively. Response surface method (RSM) was used to optimize the dielectric strength of the samples. The results revealed that in samples with 25 wt% CBA, a maximum dielectric strength of 15 kV/mm was achieved at 1000 ◦C. However, in samples with 0 wt% CBA, a dielectric strength of 15 kV/mm was obtained at 1250 ◦C. In addition, the optimal dielectric strength of 13 kV/mm using RSM was achieved at 1040 ◦C. The results indicate that adding CBA lowers the firing temperature by approximately 250 ◦C. Firing temperature in this case was the temperature when the dielectric strength was maximum. The low firing temperature was attributed to the high content of CaO (71%) in CBA. In all the samples with CBA, the dielectric strength of 6-15 kV/mm achieved was within the specification for porcelain insulators. Therefore, CBA can be used to replace feldspar in the production of porcelain insulators.