Influence of montmorillonite clay on the physical and mechanical properties of the ceramic mass

The intensification of the growth of industrial production of building materials causes an urgent need for economical use of material and fuel and energy resources, especially in such an energy-and resource-intensive industry as the production of construction ceramics. To improve the physical and mechanical properties of building ceramics, to reduce energy consumption during drying, as well as to increase the strength indicators, pilot tests of the influence of bentonite clay w for obtaining face wall ceramics were carried out. The regularities of the structure and phase formation of the ceramic composition depending on the firing temperature have been established. Modification of the raw mixture with bentonite clay to assess the increase in strength by 20-30% with a general decrease in the firing temperature by 100-120 ° C.

The Ceramic Composition Using Vermiculite

The possibility of obtaining effective wall materials and technological lightweight products for high-temperature insulation by introducing the expanded vermiculite into the ceramic mass is investigated. Mineralogy of used clays and vermiculites was studied. They are represented by minerals of the same class, and therefore weak adhesion of smooth surfaces of vermiculite grains is compensated by common genetic origin with the matrix of the basic material of the composite. Thermotechnical studies of the process of swelling of vermiculite in a quartz furnace showed that to obtain a relatively high mechanical strength of vermiculite grains, it is necessary to select the maximum temperature and the mode of swelling, so that the planar shape of vermiculite plates remains and there is no pronounced warping. The degree of thermal delamination is influenced by the particle size, the increase of which entails a deterioration in physical and mechanical properties. The introduction of a high percentage of vermiculite additives in the charge allows to obtain lightweight thermal insulation products.