Study of thermal shock and chemical durability of a porcelain formulated from local raw materials from Burkina Faso

Abstract

This work evaluates the resistance to chemical attack and thermal shock of porcelain formulated from local raw materials from Burkina Faso for their validation in real use. A kaolinitic clay, a pegmatite and sand were used for the formulation of porcelain tiles. Some samples were shaped by casting into porous molds and sintered at a temperature of 1240 °C. The average heating rate is 10 °C/min up to the final given temperature. These porcelains were immersed to a depth of 25 mm in test solutions and kept closed at 20 °C for 12 days. Six concentrations of test solutions were prepared to perform these tests: ammonium chloride (100 g/L); hydrochloric acid (3% and 18% by volume); lactic acid (5% by volume); citric acid (100 g/L) and alkali KOH (30 g/L and 100 g/L). The test showed that these porcelains are resistant to chemical attacks with insignificant mass variations ranging from −0.030 to 0.053 wt%. The results of the thermal shock test show that formulated porcelains are resistant to the brutal variation of temperature. The results obtained qualify the porcelains for industrial and real use.