materials
Ceramic materials have the property to be inorganic and non-metallic. Normally they are formed at room temperature from a raw mass and only through a sintering process at high temperature conditions do they obtain their typical material properties. The ceramic encyclopedia gives you a detailed overview of the individual materials in the ceramic range
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Sound
Clay is weathered sedimentary rock containing feldspar. It is transported to other clay deposits by water, wind or landslide. With each additional deposit, the clay is enriched with organic substances or minerals, thereby increasing its typical clay pit rusting.
Terracotta
„Burnt earth“ – is mostly made of red or yellow burning clay mass. The colouring of the terracotta shards is caused by metal oxides of iron or titanium. Terracotta is somewhat higher than earthenware and burns densely in the lower firing range. The ceramic material is one of the oldest materials in cultural history.
Stoneware
Stone witness clays are clays which already burn tightly in the medium temperature range (1100 – 1200°C) and are characterised by a large sintering melting point interval, i.e. they remain dimensionally stable even after complete compaction at an even higher temperature.
Stoneware
White burning plastic clay. Since it cannot be fired high enough, it does not sinter and remains porous. It is well suited for casting clay.
porcelain
porcelain is a material with densely sintered white, translucent body in thin layer. A distinction is made between hard and soft porcelain depending on the firing temperature. Porcelain consists of a mixture of kaolin, feldspar and quartz, which changes into a glass phase during the ceramic firing. The porcelain body is therefore denser than that of the stoneware.
Paper tone / paper clay
Paperclay is a mixture of clay, paper pulp and water. The mixing ratio can be up to max. 40 vol% paper pulp and 60 vol% clay pulp. The higher clay content in ceramic paper clay masses ensures durability and structure even after firing. The paper admixture has the advantage of easier handling in the raw state, when glazing in the single firing process and subsequent modelling on already dry batches.
Wrühware
Wrühware is the term used to describe ceramic products that have already completed a firing process. This makes the body stronger but not completely compacted so that the ceramic can then be glazed more easily. The firing temperature for shrinkage is about 900°C.
Water
The water necessary for the plasticity of the clay mass or for the casting process must then be removed during the drying and firing process of the ceramic products. There are two types of water: mechanically bound water, which is volatilized during drying, and chemically bound water, which changes the cellular structure of the clay mass and cannot be rendered rugged any more.
Casting material
Casting requires a suspension of clay and water with good flowability. Stoneware clays or porcelain are mainly used for casting compounds because they are somewhat coarser. The slurry must not settle in the moulds and must be smooth to pour. In order to keep clay particles floating in the suspension, liquefier is added to the casting mass.
Liquid/electrolyte
Liquid is used in clay slurry for casting compounds. The suspension must not contain too much water, otherwise drying problems may occur. The clay-water mixture must not settle, so a liquefier must keep the clay particles in suspension. To prevent flocculation of the suspension, the clay particles are deprived of their electrostatic attraction.
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