Characterization of Lightweight Earthenware Tiles using Foaming Agents

Green bodies of earthenware tile were prepared from a mixture of earthenware tile powder and SiC as forming agents by applying a conventional process. Granule powder for tile samples was prepared using the spray drying method with commercial earthenware raw material with a quantity of SiC of 0.3 wt%. The applied pressure was $250kg{\cdot}f/m^2$ and the firing temperature was $1050-1200^{\circ}C$. The effects of the SiC particle size and sintering temperature on the open porosity and total porosity were investigated and the correlative mechanism was also discussed. While total porosity was not significantly changed by decreasing the SiC particle size, the open porosity showed a gradual decrease, which represents an increase of the closed porosity. As the sintering temperature increased, coarsening was made among the pores due to excessive oxidation. The volume shrinkage and bending strength were demonstrated for the sintered tile samples. The sintered bulk density was also measured to determine the weight reduction value.