Assessment of Ceramic Properties of Fired Clayey Brick Materials from Bamessing in North-West Cameroon (Central Africa)

Abstract

Two clayey raw materials from Bamessing (Cameroon) were used to prepare handmade brick samples which were fired under oxidizing conditions (900–1100°C) to evaluate their possible use in the brick-making industry. The T1 sample is clay-silty-sand and is more plastic than the T2 sample which has a sandy-clay-silty texture. Prepared raw material samples (T3) are rich In the order quartz > illite > kaolinite. After firing, the samples acquired a red-yellow colour and underwent significant mineralogical and textural changes. Break down of phyllosilicates is accompanied by the crystallization of haematite, metakaolinite, spinel-phase minerals, mullite and anorthite. As firing temperature increased, fissures or micro-cracks became smaller and the matrix became vitrified. Linear firing shrinkage increased gradually (7.1–17.3%) with firing temperature (950–1050°C). Water absorption by bricks varied from 21.98 to 30.01 mass-%. Fissures or micro-cracks and water absorption by bricks decreased with increased firing temperature and strength.