Chamotte clay. Properties. Scope of application

Today, the market has a lot of finishing materials, which are specially "aged" in order to obtain an original aesthetic effect. Chamotte clay is one of them. It has unique properties of plasticity, has a wide field of application, it is becoming more and more popular all over the world.

Chamotte is a type of clay, a ceramic product, a refractory mixture produced by special technology. It is new (appeared in the XIX century), but already quite popular natural material. Products from it in its structure and color resemble an old stone, on which cracks and chips are visible. The surface is beige shades, rough, pleasant to the touch. Chamotte products perfectly fit into the interior with wooden furniture.

Production technology

The process of manufacturing chamotte consists of the following stages:

1. Procurement of raw materials - clay comes in pieces or pressed briquettes.

2. Roasting - occurs in shaft, rotary kilns at a temperature of not less than 1200 ° C. The water absorption of the burnt chamotte is in the range of two to ten percent.

3. Grinding - baked chamotte is ground to a powdered form of the required granularity in the mills. The average specific surface area is 8000 cm / g.

The main tasks of the technological process :

- firing until loss of plasticity;

- removal of chemical bonds of water.

Chamotte Clay - Properties

The popularity of chamotte is related to its properties, these are:

- mechanical strength;

- does not shrink;

- high quality;

- ecological compatibility - natural clean material;

- fire resistance, high heat resistance, heat resistance;

- not afraid of moisture, waterproof;

- frost resistance;

- economy.

Application area

The obtained chamotte clay is used as an additive to building materials, clay. This reduces the plasticity and shrinkage of the products during drying and roasting. For example, adding chamotte allows you to perform sculptures of more than 250 kg in weight. The use of such material helps to convey the era of antiquity, ancient Greek art, Japanese motifs, elements of primitive art. In Europe, chamotte clay is used for facing facades, fireplaces, walls. In industry, such clay produces refractory bricks, various heat-resistant products, ceramics.

A number of enterprises offer collection fireclay tiles. Its rough side is perfectly even, and the effect of scratched, worn, uneven edges is created only in the visible part. The more pronounced heterogeneity and curvilinearity, the more expensive this tile is.

Chamotte clay conveys the naturalness of nature, and this is something that everyone in the modern world lacks. Therefore, products from it will always be in demand, even during the fashionable renovation and smooth surfaces. Chamotte is rapidly gaining popularity all over the world as decoration decorative material for architecture. Its properties are checked by time, so we can say with confidence that this is a high-quality and reliable material. Chamotte is the perfect "defect" of ceramics.