Effect of Ceramic Powder on the Performance of Composite Water-Soluble Salt Cores: Comparison of Experimental Data and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

In this study, the effects of different ZnO, SiO2, and MgO ceramic powder addition on the mechanical properties of NaCl-Na2SO4 water-soluble salt core (WSSC) were compared, and the comparison results were analyzed. First, the results of molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the interface structure of ZnO-NaCl-Na2SO4 was more stable than SiO2-NaCl-Na2SO4 and MgO-NaCl-Na2SO4. Subsequently, the experimental comparison suggested that the strength of WSSC first increased and then decreased with the addition of ZnO ceramic powder. The bending strength of the WSSC reached 27.4 MPa with the addition of 15 wt% ZnO. At the water temperature of 85 degrees C, the water solubility rate was 142.22 kg/min m(2). Lastly, the microscopic morphology and phase composition of the WSSC were characterized through SEM and X-ray diffraction. The results of this study revealed that the mechanical properties of WSSC can be enhanced by refining WSSC particles and ZnO dispersion strengthening.