The Threshold Percolation Volume Fraction of Vitreous Silica on the Thermal Expansion Behavior of Quartz

Abstract

In this work, it is shown how the additions of vitreous silica of particle size <100 mesh may influence the reversible thermal expansion behavior of a particular mix of alfaquartz particles of different size distribution. It was found that the addition of 30 ≈ 35 vol% of vitreous silica can be considered as a percolation threshold mass-volume fraction limit, which is enough to eliminate totally the characteristic thermal expansion behavior of quartz in the range from room temperature to 1100 ? C.