Reformulation of a Kaolinitic Clay Ceramic Body with Sand and Flux Clay for Roofing Tiles Production

Abstract

A ceramic body traditionally used to produce bricks and roofing tiles was reformulated by the addition of sand and illitic clay. The objective was to obtain a ceramic product with better technological properties. Specimens were made by uniaxial press-molding at 20 MPa and then fired at temperatures varying from 850 to 1100°C. The determined technological properties were: linear shrinkage, water absorption and flexural rupture strength. The results showed that both sand and illitic clay contribute to reduce the water absorption of the industrial clayey body. With respect to the flexural behavior, it was observed that the incorporation of sand decreased the mechanical strength. On the other hand, the illitic, incorporated in an amounts of 30 wt.% contributed to increase the mechanical strength of the clayey ceramic.