Fabrication and Performance of Sintered Bricks from Fly Ash and Reservoir Sediment

doi:10.16552/j.cnki.issn1001-1625.2025.0972

Abstract

Abstract:

To address environmental pollution and resource waste caused by reservoir sediment and fly ash stockpiling， this study used Jiahezi reservoir sediment as the raw material and fly ash as an modifier to fabricate sintered brick specimens by compression molding. The influences of fly ash content and sintering temperature on bulk density， volumetric change rate， water absorption and compressive strength were investigated， while the underlying mechanisms were elucidated by TG-DSC， XRD， and SEM analyses. Results show that increasing sintering temperature enhances compressive strength and bulk density while reducing water absorption across all sintered brick specimens. Conversely， higher fly ash content decreases the bulk density but increases the water absorption of sintered brick specimens. All sintered brick specimens exhibit an initial expansion followed by contraction as the sintering temperature increases. The volumetric change rate is negatively correlated with the fly ash content. At 1 000 ℃， compressive strength of sintered brick specimens continuously decreases with increasing fly ash content. In the range of 1 050~1 100 ℃， however， compressive strength increases first and then decreases. Microstructural analysis reveals that elevated sintering temperatures promote the formation of molten glass phase， resulting in a denser microstructure and facilitating crystallization of albite， anorthite， and diopside minerals， thereby enhancing compressive strength and reducing water absorption. These findings provide theoretical foundations for the industrial production of high-strength， low-cost sintered bricks entirely based on solid wastes.

Key words: reservoir sediment, fly ash, sintered brick, sintering temperature, microstructural analysis, volumetric change rate

CLC Number:

ZHANG Shiyu, ZHOU Yang, LI Zhiqiang, CHEN Yuxian, ZHOU Shubin, CHU Yongyan, SHEN Pengcheng. Fabrication and Performance of Sintered Bricks from Fly Ash and Reservoir Sediment[J]. BULLETIN OF THE CHINESE CERAMIC SOCIETY, 2026, 45(4): 1256-1265.

Figures/Tables 12

Table 1 Main chemical composition of reservoir sediment and fly ash

Material	Mass fraction/%
Material	SiO₂	Fe₂O₃	Al₂O₃	CaO	MgO	K₂O	Na₂O	SO₃	Other	LOI
Reservoir sediment	53.79	4.52	14.48	8.76	3.10	2.44	1.89	0.19	10.83	9.60
Fly ash	44.30	5.00	32.77	6.89	0.63	0.93	0.54	2.13	6.81	4.47

Fig.1 XRD pattern of reservoir sediment

Fig.2 XRD pattern of fly ash

Table 2 Mix proportion of specimens

Sample No.	Fly ash mass/g	Reservoir sediment mass/g	Water mass/g
FA0	0	200	10
FA1	20	180	10
FA2	40	160	10

Fig.3 Preparation process for reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

Fig.4 TG-DSC curves of reservoir sediment

Fig.5 XRD patterns of reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

Fig.6 SEM images of reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

Fig.7 Bulk density of reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

Fig.8 Volumetric change rate of reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

Fig.9 Water absorption of reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

Fig.10 Compressive strength of reservoir sediment sintered brick specimens

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