Applied Chemical Engineering

Effect of evaporation boat waste particle size on the characterization of crucible specimens

Rusiyanto Rusiyanto

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Jawa Tengah, 50275, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia

Rifky Ismail

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Jawa Tengah, 50275, Indonesia

Athanasius Priharyoto Bayuseno

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Jawa Tengah, 50275, Indonesia

Deni Fajar Fitriyana

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia

Aldias Bahatmaka

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia

Wirawan Sumbodo

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia

Ninda Kurniadi

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia

Willy Gumilang Toh

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i2.5927

Keywords: evaporation boat waste; crucible; boron nitride; titanium diboride; particle size; sodium silicate; density; porosity

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Abstract

The demand for high-performance crucibles in metal casting and smelting industries has led to an increasing interest in alternative materials due to the limitations of traditional graphite-based crucibles. Evaporation boat waste, primarily composed of boron nitride (BN) and titanium diboride (TiB₂), offers a sustainable alternative but has not been fully explored for crucible production. Additionally, the influence of particle size on material properties such as density, porosity, and macrostructure remains under-researched. This study aims to address this gap by examining the effects of particle size and sodium silicate binder on the physical properties of crucibles made from evaporation boat waste. Crucibles were prepared with varying particle sizes (100, 120, 140, 170, and 200 mesh) and a 15% sodium silicate binder. Density, porosity, and macrostructure were analyzed, showing that smaller particle sizes led to higher density and lower porosity. Optical macrostructure analysis indicated a more homogeneous and compacte structure for finer particles. The results showed that the 200 mesh particle size achieved the highest density of 2.138 g/cm³, representing a 5.1% increase over the lowest density of 2.0343 g/cm³. The 200 mesh sample also exhibited the lowest porosity of 1.14%, a 2.7% decrease from the largest particle size.

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