EARTHENWARE

all clays which have a porosity above 5% when fired. Simply put, the fired clay must
be within 5% of being wholly watertight, or vitrified.
Earthenware colors range from white to dark brown, and tend to be fired at lower
temperatures than stoneware or porcelain.
They cannot be made completely watertight because of their porosity, and
glazes are applied to increase their usefulness.
The term 'Earthenware' generally means a ceramic material which has a variety of
uses ranging from pottery, tableware to decorative objects.
The general composition consists of 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz and 15%
feldspar. Earthenware is among the oldest materials to be used in pottery.
Red clay is the most commonly available and most commonly used
Earthenware is made by heating the clay at a range of 1000 and 1150 degrees Celsius
(1800 and 2100 degrees Fahrenheit) and glost fired from 950 to 1050 C (1750 to 1925
F).
The raw materials also decide the color of the body. It can be anything between white
to red. The higher temperatures can cause the earthenware to bloat. Due to firing the
body becomes porous and opaque.
Earthenware can also be described as pottery that has not been fired to the point
where it gets vitrified and is more porous and coarser than stoneware and porcelain. In
order to make it less porous the body can be covered completely or decorated with a
liquid clay mixture (called 'slip') or it can be glazed.

TERRA-COTTA
Terra means earth and cotta means baked.
Clays and glazed with glazing containing galena.
It can be scratched.
From the clay.
Iron oxide 5 to 8% and
Lime water 1%s and
Sand , ground glass increased strength prevent shrinkage during drying .
The mixture is finely ground mixed with spades , after adding amount of water.
Weathered and tempered.
Moulded in moulds .
For moulding special moulds of plaster of paris are used .
The moulds filled kept for some days for drying .
Terra cotta is taken out of mould aloud to dry in a shaded area.
Dried products are burnt in muffle furnaces .
A muffle furnace of refractory bricks.
Dampers are provided.
Temperature raised slowly about 1200degree C.
Terra-cotta may be classified into two following categories .
1.Porous terra-cotta and
2. Polished terra-cotta.

Roofing

Terracotta roof tiles are formed from

mixture of natural clay and durability
factors
Traditional,
aesthetic,
durable,
eco-friendly,
waterproof,

represents the rich heritage of India along with

outstanding architectural designs.
low rates.
The clay roof tiles comes in an array of designs and
shapes.

Floorings

These tiles give elegant look

vibrant natural colors.
attractive, colorful and long lasting in a
functional and aesthetically pleasing way.
various shapes and sizes,
hand made or mad with the help of latest
machinery in a way to give a rustic
The variegated warm colours of terracotta
tiles combined with the low firing of the clay
during manufacturing process produces a
floor, which retains heat remarkably well.

ventilation bricks,
building block

walls

Terracotta walls generate warmth,

aattractive backdrop for painting, textiles,
represents the rich heritage of India

terracotta landscaping
wire cut brick planter boxes,
terracotta kerbs
terracotta paving, etc
DISADVENTAGES OF TERRACOTTA
Terracotta tiles cannot be compared with industrially
manufactured high-tech products. The beautiful glazes
of terracotta tiles are softer and more sensitive to
scratches and wear and tear than tiles made from
normal porcelain or ceramic material
Due to technical characteristics, the dimensions of
terracotta tiles cannot be as exact as industrially
manufactured ceramic tiles and its low mechanical
resistance is replaced increasing the thickness of the
pieces
Nevertheless its high porosity makes inadvisable its
use in exterior of cold climatology, where the
waterproof property is essential.

POROUS TERRA COTTA

Porous terra cotta is sound proof fire proof material.
It can be nailed, screwed and sawn it is structurally weak and light in weight.
POLISH TERRA-COTTA
Polished terra-cotta which is sometimes also known as faience.
Terra-cotta is used for ornamental works as a substitute for stone .
Used for various ornamental purposes such as facing works , casing for columns ,
cornices etc.
FAIENCE
Polish terra-cotta is known as faience .
It is also called terra cotta burnt-twice .
It is used in the form of tiles or hollow caste units .
Earthen ware
Clays which have burnt at comparatively low temperature and cooled down slowly .

CERAMIC TILES
used to surface floors and walls.
They are made from clay compositions and other inorganic raw materials, that are ground
and/or slipped, moulded and subsequently dried and fired at adequate temperatures to
make them acquire the required properties in a stable way.
Ceramic tiles may be
unglazed (UGL) or glazed (GL).
1.Unglazed tiles undergo a single firing;
2. glazed tiles have a vitreous coat applied between the first and second firing (double
firing) or before the only firing (single firing).

Types of ceramic tiles

Type of tile

Body

Moulding

Standard
measurement
(cm)

Thick
ness
(mm)

1.Tile

Porous

Pressed

10 x 10 to
45 x 60

<10

Pressed

10 x 10 to
60 x 60

>8

2.Stoneware f Non- porous

loor tile
3.Porcelain
stoneware

Non- porous

Pressed

15 x 15 to
60 x 60

>8

4.Catalonian
floor tile

Porous

Extruded

13 x 13 to
24 x 40

<8

5.Rustic
stoneware

Non- porous

Extruded

11.5 x 11.5 to
37 x 37

>10

6.Earthenwa
re

Porous

Extruded

Wide variety

>10

Manufacture of ceramic tiles

. Powdered clays and sand are pressed under 2,400 psi (pounds per square inch) into
the desired tile shape. Next, the tile is glazed with different colors and silk screens,
then fired at temperatures reaching 1,180 C or 2,500 F. The finished product is a
durable, maintenance-free ceramic tile.

FIRE CLAY
Can resist very high temperature.
Composed of silicate alumina (25 to 35%) silica (65 to 75%) with small
percentage of alkalies.
Fire clays are used in the manufacture of the fire brick chimeny lining , etc.
The fire clays can be classified into low duty, medium duty , high duty fire
clays.
Low duty fire clays can resist temperature up to 850 degree C , medium fire
clays , up to 1500 degree C and high duty fire clays , up to 1650 degree C .
FIRE BRICKS
The colour of bricks is usually white , yellowish white they white they weigh
about 3 kg each.
Resist high temperatures.
Used for lining of furnaces , and construction of chimneys ,chambers etc.
Three categories 1.acidic fire bricks 2. basic fire bricks and 3.Neutral fire
bricks.

Industrial Applications
Because of the abundant supply of fireclay used in:
in boiler furnaces
glass melting furnaces
chimney linings
pottery kilnsblast furnaces
reheating furnaces
In blast furnaces, the lining is done almost entirely with fireclay bricks
Manufacturing Process
The aclay mined is stacked in the factory yard and allowed to weather for about a
year.
For daily production of different types of refractories, this weathered clay is taken
and mixed in different percentages with grog.
The mixture is sent to the grinding mill from where it is transferred to the pug mill.
In the pug mill a suitable proportion of water is added so as to give it proper
plasticity. The mould is supplied to different machines for making standard bricks
or shapes. Intricate shapes are made by hand.
The bricks thus made are then dried in hot floor driers and after drying they are
loaded in kilns for firing.
The firing ranges are, of course, different for different grades of refractories.
After firing, the kilns are allowed to cool; then the bricks are unloaded. By burning
fireclay is converted into a stone-like material, highly resistant to acid, water and
most other solutions.

care and maintenance of a fireclay sink is low

their practicality is coveted.
Fireclay is non-porous,
can withstand extreme heat and
wont rust or discolor,
making fireclay sinks an affordable luxury.