Desenvolvimento de massa de revestimento cerâmico, relacionando o desempenho do Caulim e Argila Mataraca

Abstract

The production of ceramics is one of the oldest activities developed by man, however, until today it goes through a process of innovation and development, a crucial point for this fact is the selection of raw materials that favor the technological value of the finished product. In this context, the present work aims to evaluate the substitution of kaolin by the determination of Mataraca clay from a standard ceramic composition (STD). For this, the raw materials were characterized before chemical (FRX), mineralogical (XRD), and grain size analysis, and after burning, by fire loss (PF), linear retraction (RL) and water absorption (AA). The methodology was based on the empirical model of a ceramic industry, the specimens were compacted by uniaxial pressing (20 bar), and dried in an oven at 100 ºC for 24 hours, then sintered at 1200 ºC in a 30 min firing cycle. Four new formulations were prepared: MASSA B, MASSA C and MASSA D, which were evaluated from physical-mechanical tests: fire loss (PF), linear retraction (RL), water absorption (AA), rupture (CR), flexural strength modulus (MRF) and linear thermal expansion (DTL). The STD test (AA = 6.3%, CR = 16.5 N and MRF = 530Mpa) had a quality score below the other formulations, however the MASSA D (AA = 3.85%, CR = 24.3 N and MRF = 700.70Mpa), which comprises the total substitution of kaolin for the clay in the ceramic composition, was the one that presented the best results. From the general analysis of the values obtained from the use of the Mataraca clay in the formulations studied, it can be affirmed that it is a raw material of great potential for the ceramic tile flooring industry, for achieving products compatible with the minimum values required by NBR 13818 (1997), which defines methods of analysis and quality standards, and is economically viable for use in the industrial process, representing an economy of 85.4% in the production of ceramic masses.