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Objective of Lecture Session

1. Basic ceramic chemistry

2. Structural-clay products
3. Specialized ceramic products

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8.1 Basic ceramic chemistry
In recent years, the demand for materials that can withstand higher and higher
temperatures resulted in many new products .

Other demanding criteria: resist high pressure, good mechanical properties, anti-corrosive.

Types of ceramic:
Clay Products
Refractories
Whitewares (white or off-white in appearance)
Specialized ceramics
Enamels/Enameled metals

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8.1 Basic ceramic chemistry
Clay Products
Brick, sewer pipe, drain tile

Refractories
Firebricks, silica, magnesite-chromite brick, silicon carbide, aluminium silicate

Whitewares (white or off-white in appearance)

Earthware, pottery, porcelin, stoneware

Specialized ceramics
Ferroelectric, ferromagnetic ceramics-barium titanate

Enamels/Enameled metals
Ceramic fused with metals (gold, silver, copper)

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8.1 Basic ceramic chemistry
Currently new processes have been developed from ceramic products from
inorganic wastes {refer related journals}

Fly ash wastes from:

Power plants, foundry sand, mine tailings, furnace slag.

Main raw materials in ceramic products are:

Clay, feldspar (group of minerals, K2O.Al2O3.6SiO2) and sand.

Clays are a form of hydrated aluminium silicates: Al2O3.2SiO2.2H2O

(kaolinite), montmorillonite [(Mg, Ca)O. Al2O3.5SiO2.nH2O], illite (K2O,
MgO, Al2O3, SiO2, H2O in variable amount)

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8.1 Basic ceramic chemistry
Number of reactions in producing ceramics:

Dehydration at 150-650 °C

Calcination at 600-900 °C

Oxidation of ferrous iron and organic matter at 350-900 °C

Silicate formation at 900 °C and higher

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8.2 Structural –Clay Products

Number of reactions in producing ceramics.

Low cost but very durable-such as building clay, sewer pipe.

Producing from lost-cost clays with some impurities in them which aid
in binding.

They undergo many processes (burning, drying, pressing in various

magnitude to obtain uniform shape, with right stress).

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8.2 Structural –Clay Products
Refractories
-material is one that retains its strength at high temperatures. ASTM C71 defines
refractories as ‘non-metallic materials’ having those chemical and physical
properties that make them applicable for structures.

Acid, basic or neutral to withstand the effect of thermal, chemical, physical effects.
It is inadvisable to employ acid bricks in contact with basic materials and vice
versa.

Porosity also plays the role. It is related to the resistance to chemical attack. The
higher the porosity the more easily it is penetrated by molten gases and fluxes.
Lowest porosity has the greatest strength, thermal conductivity and heat capacity.

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8.2 Structural –Clay Products

Due to a fracture or flake-off due to uneven heat stress or compression

as refractories expand for heat and at the least uniform rate of expansion
causes spalling.

Most refractories soften gradually over a wide range and do not have
sharp melting points due to their composite (several minerals)
ingredients. Typical fusion points are from 1600 to 2700 °C

Strength, resistance to abrasion, erosion, resistance to temperature

changes, thermal conductivity (denser-higher conductivity)

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8.2 Structural –Clay Products

Manufacturing procedures:

Grinding (relates size of particles)

Mixing (relates distribution of ingredients)

Molding (methods dictate the strength)

Drying (removing moisture/solvents, purpose?)

Burning (bonding, stable compound formation, the advantages?)

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8.2 Structural –Clay Products

Types:
1.Basic bricks,
2.fire-clay brick,
3.silica brick,
4.high alumina,
5.magnesia,
6.insulating bricks,
7.silicon carbide,
8.alumina silicates,
9.oxides (in pure form as well as mixed)

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8.3 Specialized Ceramic Products

Ceramic composites
-structures such as honeycomb, webbings, impregnated, high-alloy
metals
-applications in heat shields, rocket nozzles, jet chambers, brake linings,
clutch linings, high temperature insulation

Porcelin (vitreous enamel)

-decorative purposes
-easy to clean, resist corrosion well
-cooking utensils

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 8.3 Specialized Ceramic Products

Frit (enamel glass)

-sudden cooling resulted in shattering into millions of pieces (frit)
-wet grinding of frit and clay
-ball milled, and then sieved (200-mesh)

Kilns
-used for firing of bricks, tiles, porcelin
-after set the sample(s), heating is started and the temperature is raised
at a definite rate until the firing temperature is reached.

{Check for other types of specialized ceramic products and their

applications}

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Recent development
Remedial processing of oil shale fly ash (OSFA) and its value-added conversion
into glass–ceramics. Recently, various solid wastes such as sewage sludge,
coal fly ash and slag have been recycled into various products such as sintered
bricks, ceramics and cement concrete. Presence of high silica concentration,
calcium alkalis and alkaline earth oxides make the wastes as potential sources
for glass-ceramics preparation.

Application of these recycling approaches is much better and greener than

conventional landfills since it can solve the problems of storage of industrial
wastes and reduce exploration of natural resources for construction materials to
protect the environment.

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Recent development
The maximum mechanical properties of compression strength of 186 ± 3 MPa,
bending strength of 78 ± 6 MPa, good chemical resistances and low heavy
metals leaching concentrations showed that it could be used as a substitute
material for construction applications. The proposed approach will be one of the
potential sustainable solutions in reducing the storage of oil shale fly ash as well
as converting it into a value-added product.

Applications:

as wall-covering panels, floors and roofs in industrial and public buildings,

interior facings of containers, and road surfacing.

{refer related article for detailed information}

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Announcement

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