Study on Preparation Process of Al₂O₃-B₄C Annular Pellet by Gel Casting

Gel casting is a kind of in-situ forming process, which is the ideal process for the preparation of complicated shape ceramic part. In this paper, the Al₂O₃-B₄C annular pellet was prepared by gel casting process, and the preparation of ceramic slurry with high solid loading and low viscosity, gel casting and sintering of Al₂O₃-B₄C material were researched.The results show that thickness of Al₂O₃-B₄C annular pellet is around 1 mm, the content of B₄C is between 0.5%-12%, and sintering density is between 65%TD-93%TD. The Al₂O₃-B₄C annular pellet meets the design requirement of fuel with burnable poison for pressurized water reactor.