Ceramic Building Materials Research Articles

Evaluation of Clayey Raw Materials and Ceramic Masses from Ceramic Building Material Companies Located in Northeastern Brazil

The challenge of improving the quality of ceramic products is faced worldwide, especially in areas where artisanal production is common and the need for in-depth knowledge about raw materials, together with inefficient production processes, limits the advancement of the ceramic industry. Scientifically, detailed investigation of ceramic masses’ physical, chemical and mechanical properties can provide essential insights to optimize production, contribute to developing more advanced and sustainable techniques, and increase competitiveness. This study evaluated raw clay materials and ceramic masses obtained from northeastern Brazilian, focusing on their chemical composition, mineralogical phases, thermal behavior, and particle size distribution. Rectangular samples (80 mm × 20 mm × 7 mm) prepared using uniaxial pressing (25 MPa by 30 s) were fired at different temperatures (950 and 1050 °C) and linear shrinkage, flexural strength, water absorption, and apparent porosity measurements were taken. The results showed that the companies still need to improve the production process to meet the minimum strength requirement of 1.5 MPa according to the Brazilian standard NBR 15270.

Characterization of Ceramic Tile Bodies Prepared From Clays Collected from Four

Sierra Leone has high potentials for the setting-up of ceramic industry because of its huge virgin deposits of raw materials, chiefly clay, but lacks the technological know-how to utilize these materials to an economically sound level. Tile body offers a foundation for the performance of a glaze. The chemical and mineralogical composition of these clay bodies coupled with some physical properties, such a plasticity, bulk density, porosity, and water absorption, play significant role in determining the quality of the glazed surface.This is attested by certain glaze defects like pinholes, crazing and crawling on the glaze surface resulting mainly from bubble development within the body matrix during firing. The study aims at contributing to the promotion and use of appropriate ceramic building materials technology in Sierra Leone, by providing relevant research data to guide the production of quality ceramic products. The three key objectives, were to determine (1) the physical properties (2) chemical properties (3) mechanical properties of the clay samples investigated for their suitability in clay tile bodies production. Clay samples were collected from four sites in Sierra Leone namely Matankay (C-M) in the Western Rural District, Bo (C-B) in Bo District, Koribondo (C-K) in Pujehun District and Yele (C-Y) in Tonkolili District. Based on their plasticity index values, grain size distribution, bulk density, porosity and dry-fired shrinkage results obtained from this study, the four clay samples investigated are suitable for clay tile body production provided grog, frits, fluxes and other components are added proportionately and fired at temperatures above 1100oC to improve vitrification of the clay tile body during biscuit firing before application of the glaze.

The influence of addition of fly ash from biomass combustion on selected properties of red building ceramics

The paper characterizes waste in the form of fly ash generated in a power plant during the combustion of biomass in a fluidized bed in terms of its possible use in the ceramic building materials industry. This is important from the point of view of environmental protection. In order to assess the possibility of using ash in the production of red ceramics (e.g. bricks), two different clay raw materials (Clay I and Clay II) were selected to prepare the raw material sets. First of all, the investigated fly ash was subjected to thermogravimetric TG-DTG analysis and its basic chemical composition was determined. Then the specific density was determined for all the raw materials, XRD analysis was also performed and finally characteristic temperatures were determined by means of a high-temperature microscope. The basic raw material sets included clayey raw material and fly ash in various contents: 5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt%. Samples were pressed from the ready sets and fired at the temperature of 1000℃. Afterwards, the obtained samples were subjected to XRD and microstructural tests, then selected physical properties were determined, i.e. water absorption, porosity, apparent density, and compressive strength. Based on the research and analysis of the results, it was found that the introduction of fly ash from biomass combustion into the raw material set in the range of 5–15 wt% has a positive effect on the insulating properties of red ceramics. In addition, the density of the red ceramics decreases with the increase in the addition of fly ash, while its porosity and water absorption increase. Furthermore, the addition of fly ash decreases the compressive strength and visually brightens the microstructure of the products.

Maritime hinterlands and interregional interaction at Late Antique Kekova Adası, Türkiye

How do resource-poor island communities develop networks to ensure their supply of foodstuffs and basic commodities? The growth of the Late Antique (5th-7th century CE) town at Kekova Adası on the southern Turkish coast of Lycia offers an instructive case study. Underwater survey along the town’s harbor front yielded large quantities of amphoras, utilitarian and fine pottery, and ceramic building materials that testify to local consumption and transshipment activities on the island. The origins of these materials serve as proxy for the networks of exchange that underpinned life on Kekova Adası. Yet because many of the most common amphora and other pottery types were produced over wide areas of many hundreds of kilometers of coast in Late Antiquity, ceramic petrography is necessary to determine or more precisely define the origins of these materials and, in turn, the shape of the networks through which they moved. The results reveal that the inhabitants of Kekova Adası developed a hinterland for supply by sea that encompassed the coastal plain around Limyra some 40 km to the east as well as, seemingly, across the open sea to the southwest corner of Cyprus. While most of the bulk processed agricultural goods (particularly wine and oil) carried in these amphoras, and the ceramic building materials and other imported wares, derived from these two regions, this hinterland also intersected with larger networks of exchange that brought amphoras as well as fine and cooking wares from across the Levant, Cilicia, the east Aegean, and the northeast Peloponnese. This pattern articulates the integration and mutual interdependence of Kekova Adası’s local network with the particularly busy interregional route that supplied major urban centers and the state during this period. In the process, the case study highlights the necessity of ceramic petrography as a means of precisely reconstructing such networks.

Microorganisms in Red Ceramic Building Materials—A Review

Ceramic materials have a very long tradition of use in construction. Their durability is related to the surface of the material and the action of the corrosive environment. One of the corrosive factors acting on ceramic materials is microorganisms. They can contribute to the deterioration of the technical and performance properties of building materials. Aesthetic, physical, and chemical deterioration are considered to be the main destructive processes in ceramic materials. This work shows how the different types of the most commonly used ceramic materials, i.e., brick and tiles, are damaged. Each of these types is susceptible to microbial growth. Most microorganisms that occur on ceramic materials produce staining substances and thus form coloured biofilms. The direct action of metabolic products secreted by organisms on inorganic substrates is the main cause of chemical biodeterioration. Therefore, this work presents the impact of microorganisms on ceramic building materials.

Possibility of Using Enrichment Tailings of KMA Ferruginous Quartzite in the Production of Ceramic Building Materials

Possibility of Using Enrichment Tailings of KMA Ferruginous Quartzite in the Production of Ceramic Building Materials

Preparation of egg-structured ceramsites from molybdenum tailings with improved properties

Conversion of solid waste tailings into building materials is an effective way to turn waste into resources as well as resolve the problems of their accumulation and pollution. Herein, in this paper, light-weight and high strength molybdenum tailings ceramsites (LHMCs) were prepared using molybdenum tailings as the main raw material supplemented with fly ash, sludge, steel slag and other solid wastes by egg-structure (three-layer structure) design and high-temperature sintering. The effects of raw material ratio, amount of carbon powder agent, sintering temperature, and sintering time on the properties of LHMCs were investigated, and the optimal preparation process was proposed to be preheating at 400 °C for 60 min and sintering at 1150 °C for 40 min. The results of the physicochemical properties, morphology, and component analysis of LHMCs show that the LHMCs with egg-structure including porous core, reinforced middle layer, and dense outer layer can significantly increase the strength of the ceramsites under the premise of ensuring the low density of the ceramsites. Meanwhile, the doping of molybdenum tailings improves the physical properties of the ceramsites and achieves the reuse of waste tailings. Importantly, the optimized LHMCs can meet the performance requirements of 900-grade ceramsites. This paper proposes a strategy for the preparation of tailings-doped light-weight and high-strength ceramic building materials, which provides a new idea for the recycling of solid waste.

Roman-period trade in ceramic building materials on the Levantine Mediterranean coast: evidence from a farmstead site near Ashqelon/Ascalon, Israel

Roman-period trade in ceramic building materials on the Levantine Mediterranean coast: evidence from a farmstead site near Ashqelon/Ascalon, Israel

Application features of clay raw materials from the "Krupeisky sad" deposit for obtaining ceramic building material

The article considers chemical, mineralogical and granulometric features of clay raw materials from the "Krupeisky Sad" deposit, presents its technological and color properties. The thermal transformation of clays under firing conditions were studied. It was revealed that clays from the "Krupeisky Sad" deposit were characterized by a high content montmorillonite and fine-grained quartz, which had a negative impact on the technological effectiveness of the process of manufacturing ceramic products. Compositions, including clay raw materials from the "Krupeysky Sad" deposit, quartz sand or granite screenings, burnout additive, as well as a technology for producing ceramic bricks, were developed. It had been established that it is advisable to use granite screenings, because it provides higher strength characteristics of products due to the peculiarities of the mineralogical composition and the shape of the grains. In addition, the optimal content of sawdust (not more than 3.5 wt.%), which allowed to intensify the processes of drying and firing of the material, was determined. The technical and economic efficiency of the developed compositions and technological modes to obtain ceramic bricks were confirmed by test in the conditions of the Production Unitary Enterprise "Loyevsky Combine of Building Materials" JSC "Polesestroy".

The Mineralogical, Chemical, and Physical Properties of Ceramic Building Material: Khirbet Edh-Dharih in Southern Jordan (First Century BC–Seventh Century AD)

ABSTRACT Throughout history, ceramic building material (CBM), such as bricks, tiles, and hypocaust tiles, along with decorative elements, have been of immense significance. To determine the mineralogical content, chemical composition, and physical property of such materials, as well as pottery sherds, excavated from the archaeological site of Khirbet Edh-Dharih in southern Jordan, a range of analytical techniques that include petrography, XRD, AAS, and SEM-EDX were utilized. The findings indicate that during the periods studied the potters followed the tradition of sourcing local raw materials and utilized relatively advanced manufacturing techniques. However, the late Byzantine–early Umayyad potters deviated from this norm by blending noncalcareous clay with coarsely crushed quartz in higher proportions and firing them at elevated temperatures. This resulted in a clay with a lower water absorption capacity, lower porosity, and higher bulk density, thus improving its durability.

Waste for building material production as a method of reducing environmental load and energy recovery

Proper treatment and recycling of waste are crucial for the natural environment. Biowaste and ash might be used for ceramic building material production. Reduction in the amount of waste leads to the smaller burden on the environment, and it can also offer recovery of energy. This paper presents the results of an experimental study of the compressive strength of samples made from clay with waste additives: ash and sewage sludge. It was proven that the increasing amount of the waste materials decreases strength properties in all incineration temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was used to determine the internal structure of the samples. Tests of heavy metal leaching revealed that the concentration of copper, chromium, nickel, and zinc in leachate generally decreased with an increase in sintering temperature. Moreover, the level of chromium was observed to exceed the permissible level.

Capturing technological crossovers between clay crafts: An archaeometric perspective on the emergence of workshop production in Late Iron Age northern Spain.

In the Iberian Iron Age, the transition to workshop-based pottery production involved the use of innovative tools (the potter's wheel and kiln) and dedicated workspace. This facilitated an intensification of production, with repercussions for consumption practices and the economy. Cross-craft comparison can contribute to understanding the transmission processes underpinning this transition, as well as its impact on local craft traditions. This paper discusses an archaeometric methodology to compare the technological procedures underpinning different clay crafts to reveal crossovers and divergences that are meaningful for understanding cross craft interaction and the spread of technological innovations. We use thin-section ceramic petrography, X-Ray Fluorescence, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, and X-Ray Diffraction to analyse the mineralogical and geochemical compositions and levels of standardisation in hand-made pottery, wheel-made ceramics, and ceramic building materials from the Late Iron Age oppidum of Monte Bernorio (Aguilar de Campoo, Palencia) and the kiln site of El Cerrito (Cella, Teruel). The results demonstrate that wheel-made pottery was produced according to a highly uniform clay preparation and clay selection procedure, which spanned the northern Iberian Plateau and largely existed in isolation from local pottery traditions. At Monte Bernorio, wheel-made pottery was made on-site from non-local clays, suggesting that suitable clays were brought to the site, perhaps by itinerant potters working on a seasonal basis. Technological traditions were thus largely polarised, demonstrating that knowledge, skills, and markets relating to workshop-produced pottery were enacted by a segment of society operating as part of a closed technological system.

On the Ceramic Imports from Sinope at Olbia Pontica (on the Example of Architectural Terracottas)

In the paper architectural terracottas — facade elements of building ceramics, which were imported to Olbia from Sinope for the decorative design of the roofs of public and, presumably, residential buildings, are studied. In the Olbian collection, fragments from various structurally-different parts are selected. These are frontal antefixes in the shape of multi-pelated palmettes and gorgoneions, as well as simas with ovolos and meander motifs and zoomorphic downspouts in the shape of lion protomes. It has been established that the time of the maximum spread of the Sinopean import of construction ceramics in Olbia was in the Late Classical — Early Hellenistic period. Usually, the import of such parts did not extend to the 3rd century BC, although the duration of their usage, along with tiles, was longer, which is recorded by finds. The absolute majority of Sinopean architectural terracotta finds come from the territory of the Upper City and are probably related to public buildings. Olbia, along with Istria and Bosporan centres, especially Panticapaeum and Nymphaion, was an active consumer of these products. Olbia still lacks evidence of its own production of architectural terracottas, although the tile production imitating Sinopean types is known. This distinguishes Olbia from other centres of the Northern Black Sea region, in particular Chersonesos and Panticapaeum, which are known for their own manufacturing of such products, inspired by Sinope. A significant amount of tile decor of Sinopean origin confirms the importance of the Olbian market in the trade of ceramic building materials with this South Pontic centre.

:Hunde in der römischen Antike: Rassen/Typen - Zucht - Haltung und Verwendung

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:The Making of a Roman Imperial Estate: Archaeology in the Vicus at Vagnari, Puglia

:<i>The Making of a Roman Imperial Estate: Archaeology in the Vicus at Vagnari, Puglia</i>

Study on static moisture absorption characteristics of porous humidity regulating ceramic building materials

Study on static moisture absorption characteristics of porous humidity regulating ceramic building materials

Circular ceramics: Mapping UK mineral waste

The UK ceramics industry faces significant challenges to transition to the circular economy and meet net zero targets for emissions. Whilst the literature shows ceramic building materials to be well-suited to utilising a range of waste inputs, the lack of detailed information on UK mineral waste availability, distribution, composition and effect on emissions remains a major barrier in practice. Using a range of data sources, this paper maps the UK's current mineral waste by material type and geographic occurrence. The potential of each material for ceramics applications is assessed, particularly focusing on the scope they offer for reducing firing temperature and process emissions, alongside their processing demands and opportunity cost. This study aims to provide an important tool in helping producers make informed decisions to reduce their raw material usage with a view towards emissions reduction and incremental transition to net zero.

Utilization of Cement Kiln Dust with Local Ores to Prepare Ceramic Building Materials

Kiln dust material is collected during the manufacturing process of cement industry. It is considered as a waste material and poses environmental pollution. The properties of Kiln dust material depend on the kind of raw materials and fuel used. It is considered as a waste material This study focuses on the utilization the waste materials for ceramic products (bricks and tiles). The efficiency parameters (percentage of raw materials, additives, and firing temperature) during manufacture of the samples. Different amount of Kiln dust materials (20, 30 and 40) % were mixed with red kaolin clay and 10% (Na2CO3) is added to reduce firing temperature as a catalyst to prepare glassy phase. The samples were prepared by semi-dry press at a pressure 250 Kg/cm2 in two molds, cylinder (3.5 × 10 cm2) and square (5 × 5 cm2) for brick and tile respectively. Theses samples were dried at room temperature for 48 h. and at 110 °C for 24 hr. then, fired in muffle furnace at different firing temperatures (1050, 1100 and 1150 °C). The properties of ceramic materials after firing are produced a new material modifying in properties, and it is desirable stability of the product during the manufacture, as well as, firing temperature of the samples are very influential parameter on the physical and mechanical properties. Using kiln dust material with red kaolin clay, needs to high firing temperature up to 1150 °C, but the presence Na2CaCO3 in sample aid to decrease firing temperature to 1100 °C, with maintain requirement [1, 2, 3], fixing the addition of kiln dust material should not exceed 30%.

Crystal Park, Bottisham: The Construction Materials of a Roman Villa Complex – A Cambridgeshire Case Study

ABSTRACTThe retention of 2.6 metric tonnes of building material from three rural masonry buildings from Bottisham, south-east Cambridgeshire, provided a rare opportunity for a thorough investigation into their fabric, form, construction style and function. A double-apsidal building may have been a bath-house and another building had evidence for an extensive box-flue tile heating system. Both buildings showed signs of either being unfinished or the heating element having never been used. A third building was a later construction that used rare red-slipped tegulae and imbrices. This article goes beyond suggesting the existence of a villa or villa-type complex at Bottisham to offer a detailed case study of the use of ceramic building materials

Evaluation of Frost Impact on Traditional Ceramic Building Materials Utilized in Facing Walls.

This paper takes into consideration the performance of traditional bricks as part of a building exterior wall finish. Exterior wall materials change their properties when exposed to external environment. This process is extended over time and its intensity is closely related to microstructure, moisture and freeze–thaw cycles. Two methods of freeze–thaw durability tests were used in this study: standard and defined by the authors. The authors’ method incorporated the actual conditions of masonry unit function in exterior wall finish, i.e., cyclical effects of precipitation water, changes in temperature and air humidity. The laboratory test study included 50 freeze–thaw cycles. Three characteristic ranges of pore dimensions were indicated in the analysis: below 0.1 µm, between 0.1 and 3.0 µm and above 3 µm. Based on the method of freeze–thaw durability testing, the areas of microstructure changes were determined. The obtained results were related to the absorption of ceramic building materials. The authors’ method confirms the usage of traditional ceramic building materials designed for use in protected walls against water penetration in unprotected exterior wall finish. The critical water saturation method of masonry units (standard) based on extreme environmental conditions generates significant changes in porosity distribution that do not reflect real, i.e., moderate, conditions. This method is appropriate for masonry units operating in severe conditions, i.e., F2. The aim of this study is to suggest a methodology for durability tests of traditional ceramic masonry units to cyclic freezing and thawing, which are only exposed to F1 (moderate) conditions during operation. Changes in the microstructure of the ceramic building materials were used as the primary evaluation criterion. In order to determine the effect of cyclic temperature changes, the freeze–thaw durability test was performed according to generally accepted standard procedures and in-house methodology. The purpose of the study is to point out the individual approach for the analysis of the material–environment system. At the same time, it should inspire researchers to innovative methods which use external conditions in a laboratory environment.