Granite as flux in stoneware tile manufacturing

Natural granite was used to completely replace both feldspathic and inert components of a traditional ceramic body. Raw material from Sinai (Egypt) was added (in the range 20-35 wt%) to a commercial Egyptian ball clays (from Aswan, Egypt) in order to obtain laboratory tiles sintered at 1220 degrees C. Densification was studied according to ISO rules, while sinterability was estimated by optical dilatometry. Chemical, physical and microstructural analyses were accomplished to find the relationship between both the phase composition and microstructure of the fired bodies properties. The fired samples show moderate thermal expansion as well as reasonable bending strength. Therefore, as a nonconventional raw material in the modern ceramic production, the studied batches are recommended for the production of industrial fast firing tiles showing properties similar to commercial ceramic floor and/or wall tiles. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.