FIRE CLAY

Fire clay is a specific kind of clay used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially
fire brick. The fire attribution is given for its refractory characteristics. There are two
types of fire clay: flint clay and plastic fire clay.

It is resistant to high temperatures, has a fusion point higher than 1,600°C, and
therefore it is suitable for lining furnaces, as fire brick, and manufacture of utensils
used in the metalworking industries, such as crucibles, saggars, retorts, and
glassware. Because of its stability during firing in the kiln, it can be used to make
complex items of pottery such as pipes and sanitary ware. Its chemical composition
consists of a high percentage of silicon and aluminium oxides, and a low percentage
of the oxides of sodium, potassium, and calcium. Unlike conventional brick-making
clay, it is mined at depth, usually found as a seatearth associated with coal
measures.

Chemical and physical character reference for Fire clay:

AL2O3% : 25-27%
Fe2O3% : 7-9%
SiO2% : 50-60%
Water absorption : 25%
Cold crushing strength MPa 23MPA
Apparent Porosity% : 28%
Bulk density g/cm3: 2.2
Refractoriness : 1700

Color according to customer's requirements, now, there are more than 10 different
color available.
Application:

• Paving road
• Garden wall
• Parking-lots
• Squares
• Walkways
• Home yards

FLINT CLAY

A smooth, flintlike refractory clay rock composed dominantly of kaolin, which breaks
with a pronounced conchoidal fracture and resists slaking in water. It becomes
plastic upon prolonged grinding in water, as in anindustrial wet-pan unit. Flint fire
clays have a higher alumina content than plastic fire clays, ball clays, and china
clays, in addition to having slightly elevated levels of Fe2O3 and TiO2. Flint Fire clays
have lower plasticity (compared with china clays) when mixed with water and,
consequently, develop lower dried and fired strengths. Because of the lower
plasticity, the drying and firing shrinkages tend to be very low. Processing of flint fire
clays can require plastic additives such as ball clays or bentonites. In the raw state,
flint fire clays range in color from gray to red and flint fire clays deposits tend to be
harder than other clays.

PLASTIC FIRE CLAYS

Plastic Fire Clays have a composition similar to china and ball clays, except for the
elevated Fe2O3 and TiO2 contents. Because of their composition, plastic fire clays
have similar plasticity, dried strength, and fired strength when compared with china
clays. Plastic fire clays range in color from gray to red or even black in the raw state.
Like other fire clays, plastic fire clays produce buff colored bodies when fired.