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The CSIRO laboratory-scale assimilation test is carried out by embedding ore particles into a fluxed matrix of known sinter blend composition. Samples are fired in a tube furnace under controlled conditions simulating the actual sintering process. The aim is to isolate and evaluate the nucleus behaviour of an individual blend component. Measured cross-sections of the resulting fired samples provide a semi-quantitative measure of reactivity, while accompanying photomicrographs allow a qualitative assessment of assimilation properties. Nucleus particles were selected from haematite, haematite-goethite and goethite ores and embedded in a simulated plant sinter matrix. Drilled core particles of two sizes were tested at fixed temperatures simulating low temperature (<1300°C) and high temperature (>1300°C) sintering conditions. The resulting assimilation properties are compared and discussed as a function of particle size, temperature and ore/sinter mineralogy. The implications for the contribution of each component in the prediction of blend sinter quality are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The physical properties of iron ore sinter are largely influenced by raw material properties, in particular the bulk ore composition and its associated mineralogy. The levels of Fe, SiO2, Al2O3, MgO and other elements, together with the nature of the minerals in the fine ore and associated sintering conditions play a major role in determining the abundance and type of high-temperature bonding phases that form during sintering. This study using natural ores combines in situ X-ray diffraction experiments in model sinter systems with laboratory-based compact sinter tests to examine the links between iron ore composition and sintering conditions and their effects on sinter strength. Results help to establish the critical compositional and thermal parameters that control the bonding phase chemistry, which in turn influences the strength, a key sinter quality parameter of the sinter matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]