Effects of Alkaline Additives on the Thermal Behavior and Properties of Cameroonian Poorly Fluxing Clay Ceramics

Abstract

Ball clay and alkaline feldspars (syenite and nepheline syenite) were mixed with red kaolinite clay (rich in iron oxides but poor in fluxing oxides) and fired (1000°C - 1200°C) in order to improve certain characteristics of the obtained ceramics. The thermal behavior of the mixtures was monitored via Young modulus whereas linear shrinkage, water absorption, bulk density, flexural strength, microstructure and crystalline phases of fired products were examined. In the case of red clay-ball clay mixtures, the amount of mullite or cristobalite increased with heating temperature and the amount of additive, whereas the temperature at which there is an important sintering decreased with the increase of additive. In the ceramics produced from the mixtures of red clay-alkaline additive, contrary to mullite, the amount of cristobalite decreased with both the amount of additive and heating temperature. Also in the data of Young modulus, there was a decrease of temperature assigned to the beginning of densification. Additionally, incorporating at least 15% of alkaline additive to red clay and heating between 1050°C and 1200°C leads to ceramics with low water absorption (0.70% to 0.25%). However when using the same amount of additive and heating the mixtures at the same temperature, ceramics produced from nepheline syenite were denser than those obtained from syenite. Addition of ball clay or alkaline feldspars to kaolinite clay containing great amount of iron oxides and low fluxing oxides allows getting compact ceramics at reduced temperature.