Ceramic materials

Ceramic materials

1. General properties

   • Made from clay
     • Wet
       • Soft
       • Pliable
     • Dry
       • Porous
       • Resistant
       • Chemically inert

2. How ceramic materials are made

   • Preparation
     • Cleaned
   • Mixing
     • Mixed with water, colouring, temper and flux
   • Shaping
     • Shaped
   • Drying
     • Dried to eliminate water
   • Firing
     • Done in special ovens
   • Decoration
     • Decorated and finished

3. Classification of ceramic materials

   • Coarse ceramics
     • Terracotta
       • Ordinary clay
         • Bricks, roof tiles, and pottery
     • Earthenware
       • Mixture of white clay, silica and feldspar
         • Crockery, decorative objects and bathroom tiles.
     • Refractory ceramics
       • Baked clay and metal oxides
         • Blast furnace linings, electrical and electronic components.
   • Fine ceramics
     • Stoneware
       • Refractory clay,
         • Tiles, tubes and bricks.
     • Porcelain
       • Special white clay called kaolin
         • Decorative objects, bathroom fixtures, laboratory materials