Investigation of the effects of red clay on the structural properties of chamotted clay bodies

Abstract

Chamotte means fired clay. It is also called Grog and it can have many particle sizes, from fine to coarse. The composition formed by the addition of chamotte to various clay compositions is called chamotte mud (CM). The most preferred and widely used muds in the production of artistic ceramic products are chamotte mud and red pottery mud (R-PM). The sintering, linear shrinkage, water absorption, and color properties of these muds vary depending on their components and firing temperatures. Chamotte mud has properties that make it suitable for use at high temperatures (1150-1200 oC). The obtained products, however, have a high-water absorption value, because it deforms in high-temperature firings, the red Kınık pottery mud used in the study is typically used for artistic productions at low temperatures such as 900-1000 oC. Ceramic artists may prefer to combine and use both types of mud to enhance the color effects and shaping properties in their works. 
 The aim of this study is to reduce water absorption of the body while increasing firing shrinkage, in other words, increasing shrinkage during sintering by adding red pottery mud to chamotte mud and also to optimize the tendency of the R-PM to undergo deformation with temperature. As a result, the products obtained, particularly those produced for artistic outdoor use, will have a longer lifetime. In experimental studies, 6 recipes were produced by combining chamotte and red mud in specific ratios, and the changes in properties such as water absorption, linear shrinkage, color, gloss, microstructure, and sintering behavior of ceramic bodies as a result of firing at 1160 oC were investigated.