Using steel slag as a main raw material of ceramics is considered as a high value-added way. However, the relationship among the initial composition, ceramic microstructure, and macroscopic properties requires further study. In this paper, a series of ceramics with different slag ratios （0-70wt%） were designed, and the software FACTsage was introduced to simulate the formation of crystalline phases. The simulation results indicate that mullite is generated but drastically reduced at the slag ratios of 0-25wt%, and anorthite is the dominant crystalline phase in the slag content of 25wt%-45wt%. When the slag ratio is above 45wt%, pyroxene is generated more than anorthite. This is because increasing magnesium can promote the formation of pyroxene. Then, the formula with a slag content of 40wt% was selected and optimized. X-ray diffraction results were good consistent with the simulation results. Finally, the water absorption and bending strength of optimized samples were measured.
Red mud-fly ash based cementitious material mixed with different contents of oil shale calcined at 700 ℃ is investigated in this paper. The effect of active Si and A1 content on the solidification of Na＋ during the hydration process is determined by using X-ray diffraction （XRD）, 27A1 and 29Si magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance （MAS-NMR）, infrared （IR）, scanning electronic microscopy （SEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. It is shown that the content of oil shale has a remarkable effect on the solidified content of Na＋. The hydration process generates a highly reactive intermediate gel phase formed by co-polymerisation of individual alumina and silicate species. This kind of gel is primarily considered as 3D framework of Si04 and A104 tetrahedra interlinked by the shared oxygen atoms randomly. The negative charges and four-coordinated A1 inside the network are mainly charge-balanced by Na＋. The solidifying mechanism of Na＋ is greatly attributed to the forming of this kind of gel.
