Clay is a common name for a number of fine-grained, earthy materials that become plastic when wet.

Clay sintered in fire were the first form of ceramic

Bricks, cooking pots, art objects, dishware, and even musical instruments such as the ocarina can all be
shaped from clay before being fired

More than a third of the houses in the world are made of clay. Clay vessels were instrumental in the
invention of cooking, wine and beer making, and international trade. Our toilets are made of clay.

The first spark plugs were thrown on the potter’s wheel.

Clay is the major constituent of the soil as it covers about 40% of the earth’s sedimentary rock.

Clay occurs in (3) three main forms:

1. Shales: these are clays that have been subjected to high pressures until they have nearly
hardened into slate
2. Surface clays: these may be up thrusts of older deposits or of more recent sedimentary
formations.
3. Fire clays: these are usually mined at deeper levels than other clay and have refractory qualities.

• Generally, pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of
colours from impurities, such as a reddish or brownish colour due to small deposits amounts of
iron oxide.

• There are some clays that have bluish and greenish colors which typically forms from volcanic
ash layers as rocks become altered by water that is oxygen-deprived and hydrogen-rich. Usually,
clay from wet soil with poor water flow, you will find such reduced iron in your greenish-blue
clay. The reduced iron being ferrous iron

FORMATION OF CLAY

Clay minerals typically form over long periods of time as a result of the gradual chemical weathering of
rocks, usually silicate bearing, by low concentrations of carbonic acid and other diluted solvents.

• Areas of clay deposits are usually associated with very low energy deposition environments such as
large lakes and marine basins

There are (2) two main types of clay

1. Varve (or varved) Clay: this is clay with visible annual layers, which are formed by seasonal
depositions of those layers and are marked by differences in erosion and organic matter
2. Quick Clay: this is a unique type of marine clay that is indigenous to the glaciated terrains of
countries like Norway, Canada, Northern Ireland and Sweden. • It is a highly sensitive clay,
prone to liquefaction, which has been involved in several deadly landslides.
PROPERTIES OF CLAY Physical Properties of Clay:

• Plasticity: that is clays are easily molded into a form that they retain when dry

Fineness of grain: individual clay particles are

It posses a surface capacity to take decorations that is, it can be decorated upon.

• It can appear in different colors from white to dull gray or from brown to orange -red, depending on
the soil content which it is found.

Chemical properties of Clay

The water retention capacity of clay minerals is proportional to its surface area.

• Clay shrinks under firing and under air drying.

• Clay forms colloidal suspensions when immersed in water.

• It is highly absorbent, that is it can absorb water.

• Clay particles flocculate (clump), and settle quickly in saline (salty) water

TYPES OF CLAY

• Earthenware Clays: are the oldest clays used by potters and happen to be the most common
today. It is very plastic and is beginner-friendly. It is used for sculpting, hand-building, and wheel
throwing.

• Ball Clays: are the most plastic clays and contain very limited mineral impurities. They occur
naturally as sediments or deposits, containing very fine materials. It is used for floor tiles, toilet
bowls, vases, tableware, and kiln furniture.

• Stoneware Clays: are moderately plastic, hard, and non-porous. It is used mainly in hand-
building and wheel throwing.

• Porcelain Clays: are incredibly popular, especially for dinnerware. They are mainly used in wheel
throwing and cast slipping to create tableware, vases, and other decorative objects.

Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type
sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism

• Ceramic objects are made by combining naturally occurring raw materials, such as clay, earthen
minerals, and water, and shaping them into forms using hand-building, wheel-throwing, or mold
casting techniques.
SLATE CERAMIC

It is naturally occurring It is derived from a man-made process

It is a homogenous metamorphic rock gotten from shale-type sedimentary rock. It is made from dried and fired clay

Has high tensile strength Has low tensile strength

CLAY PRODDUCTS

1. Structural Clay tiles: . It can be used:

• as a facing tile for interior and exterior unplastered walls, partitions, or columns;
• as load-bearing tile in masonry constructions designed to carry superimposed loads;
• as fireproofing tile for protection of structural members against fire;
• as floor tile in floor and roof construction, et

. Tiles can be divided into two(2) classes:

• Common tiles: used for common purposes such as for roofing (roof tiles), flooring (floor tiles),
paving, drains and walls.
• Encaustic tiles: these are multi-coloured substances in the clay before drying and burning.
Used for decorative purposes in floors, walls

1. Ceramic Tiles Ceramic tile is a burned-clay product used primarily for decorative and sanitary
effects. They come in a wide variety of shapes- squares, rectangles, and hexagons are the
predominating forms.
2. Architectural Terra cotta The term ‘‘terra cotta’’ has been applied for centuries to decorative
moulded-clay objects whose properties are similar to brick.
3. Clay Bricks It is an artificial stone obtained by molding clay in rectangular blocks of uniform
size(19cm x 9cm x 9cm) which is then tried and burnt. This clay brick contains mainly a mixture
 of clay and sand (i.e. alumina and silica) in such proportions so as to render plastic state when
mixed with water. Some other ingredients include lime, magnesia, oxide of iron
4. Stone ware This are wares prepared from a mixture of refractory clay, stone and crushed
pottery at high temperature and then cooled down slowly. Stone wares are largely used for
making sanitary articles such as washing hand basins, sewer pipes, glazed tiles, water closets
and gully traps
5. Hollow Bricks These are light weight bricks with cavities, made from special homogeneous clay.
Such bricks have wall thickness of about 20-25mm and are used for partition walls. They also
provide good insulation against heat, sound and dampness
6. Perforated brick These bricks are light in weight and contain perforations which may be circular,
square, elliptical, rectangular or any other shape. They are used for construction of brick panels
for light weight structures, decorative partition walls, multistorey framed structures and grill
work

USES OF CLAY Clay can be used for the following purposes;

• For pottery making, utilitarian and decorative purposes.

• For making construction products such as bricks, wall and floor tiles. other products of clay when
mixed with different minerals and firing conditions are earthenware, stoneware, porcelain and pipe for
drainage and sewage.

• For production of cooking pots, art objects, dish ware and also musical instrument such as the ocarina
which can also be used in homes and other building functions.

• Used industrially, for paper making, cement production, chemical filtering in the oil industry, paper
and rubber industries

Bentonite clay can serve as a mold binder in sand castings in the foundry workshop.

• Clay as a result of its impermeability (when dried and fired) to water can be used in the cores of dams
and also as barriers in landfills against toxic seepage.

• Traditionally, clay can be used as a medicine for example Armenian which is used for stomach upset.

• For dressings in construction

ADVANTAGE TO CLAY AS A BUILDING MATERIALS

1. Clay building materials are very versatile and can be used for a variety of applications in
buildings. They can be used for walls, facades and roofs as well as for gardens, terraces and
open spaces.
2. Clay building materials are robust, stable and, as a result, especially durable: their lifespan is
more than 100 years.
3. They are energy efficient due to their excellent insulation properties and their heat storage
capacity.
4. Clay bricks and tiles are very attractive and have high aesthetics.
5. They are highly economic:
 6. They have high insulation properties: That is, they have high resistance to heat and electricity
7. Clay building materials are sustainable and consists of natural raw materials(clay and water)-
Clay bricks and tiles are absolutely free of pollutants and allergens and thus especially
compatible with humans and nature.
8. They are Stable in value:

DISADVANTAGES OF USING CLAY FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

During extreme weather, it may cause degradation of the surface due to frost damage.
• It adds a lot of weight to the building. Therefore increasing the load, the foundation and other
members are to carry.
When brick shows cracks or damages, the damaged part can’t be repaired, therefore the entire
wall section has to be removed and replaced, which is very costly.
• Poorly made bricks such as clinkers and older recycled bricks might be pitted, irregularly
shaped, worn or prone to chipping.
In humid climates, porous bricks invites mould leading to damage as water and ice expands and
contracts
Brick is not cost-effective for many home builders. It can be damaged by vines.
• High demand for the clay bricks would result in price hike of clay bricks.
• Continuous use of clay bricks in construction industry will lead to extensive loss of fertile top
soil, this could be devastating to the environment

CHANGE OF COLOUR OF CLAY

• Colorants are used to change the colour of clay. They can be raw metal oxides (e.g. iron oxide,
chrome oxide), metal-oxide-containing materials (e.g. rutile) or man-made powders that are
smelted from metal oxide and stabilizer mixes (stains).

• There are 3 methods used in making colored clay namely:

• Adding dry stain to your clay

• Mixing wet stain with your clay

• Making a colored slip and mixing this with your clay

EFFECTS OF HEAT ON CLAY

 • Change 1 – Drying out Residual Moisture: Before the clay is bisque fired, it’s important that it is
dried out thoroughly.  Clay going into the kiln needs to be bone dry, which means that it’s as dry
as it can be.

• Change 2 – Organic Carbons Burn Out: It’s important that the organic carbons are burned out
during the bisque fire.  This is because when they burn they produce gases. The gases need to
leave the clay during the bisque fire rather than the glaze fire.  If carbon-related gases try to
leave the clay during the glaze fire, it can cause defects in the glaze. 

• Change 3 – Dehydration: During the firing schedule, the chemical bond between the clay and
the water needs to be broken and the water molecules need to be driven out of the clay. This
process is known as ‘dehydration’. The dehydration process begins at around 896F (480C) and is
complete by around 111F (600C).

• Change 4 – The Quartz Inversion: Quartz is an inorganic crystal that occurs in clay bodies. As the
temperature in the kiln increases the crystals that make up the quartz rearrange themselves and
as this occurs the quartz expands quickly by 1-2%.

• Change 5 – Inorganic Carbons Burn Out of the Clay: Between 1292-1652F (700-900C) more
carbons are burned out of the clay.  These carbons, unlike the earlier burn out are inorganic
rather than organic.

• Change 6 – Sintering: The point in the firing schedule where clay has lost its water content is
when another bonding process begins.  This process is called ‘sintering’.  As clay heats up,
particularly at the point when it is red hot, the clay particles move closer together. 

• Change 7 – Decomposition: A further change that happens to clay when it is fired, is that some
of its ingredients will decompose. Decomposition is different in that it involves some of the
materials in the clay being broken down into smaller pieces.

Change 8 – Vitrification / Maturation: During the glaze fire, stoneware and clay become stronger,
denser and less porous.  This process is called maturation.  A clay is said to be mature, when it is as
strong and dense as it can be