What is Fireclay?
Fire clay is a variety of refractory clays used in ceramic manufacturing, particularly for fire bricks. It is nothing but hydrated aluminosilicate (Al2O3•2SiO2•2H2O).
Refractory Fire Clay Mortar
Refractory mortar is a blend of fireclay, cement, sand, and, other special substances such as calcium aluminate. Fireclay is a group of different clays that can withstand heat up to 1600 degrees Celsius.
Key Benefits of Fireclay Mortar
• High heat resistance.
• Less Shrinkage.
• High Strength.
• Strong Strength of Bonding.
• Outstanding performance.
Types of Fireclay
• Flint Clay: Flint clay is a geologically versatile earth material, i.e., it is regarded both as an ore because it is useful as an important raw material for super-duty clay refractories and as a sedimentary rock that is interesting because of its distinctive lithology and unique origin among mudstones.
Flint clay has long been described as a lightweight, non-fissile, essentially mono-mineral kaolinitic, microscopically fine-grained that breaks with a conchoid ("flinty") fracture, has hardly any natural plasticity, and resists slaking.
• Plastic Fire clay: The Plastic Fire Clay is used in shaping fire bricks as the basic raw material. The raw material of Plastic Fire Clay is recognized for its high plasticity. Plastic Fire Clay is also used in refractories as the raw material.
Uses of Fireclay:
Fire clay has a high heat resistance as well as a high melting point and hence is suitable for liner furnaces, such as fire bricks, and the production of utensils utilized in metalworking industries such as glassware, crucibles, saggars, retorts, etc. It can also be used to produce complex pottery products, such as pipes and sanitary items, because of its stability during cooking in the oven.
• Furnace Lining: Furnace lining is composed of high melting point content used to cover the internal walls of a furnace. Fireclay - a clay that is heat-resistant refractory used in the liner (a waterproof cover that covers the surface of the interior).
• Manufacturing of Bricks: For the manufacture of bricks, clay must have some peculiar properties and characteristics. Such clays must have plasticity that allows them to be formed or molded when combined with water; they must have adequate wet and air-dried strength to preserve their shape after formation. Often, the clay particles must bond together when they are exposed to sufficient temperatures.
Fire clay satisfies all the criteria for the production phase of bricks.
• Metalworking industries: Metalworking is the method of forming and reshaping metals to produce usable artifacts, components, assemblies, and large-scale structures. As a word, it encompasses a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing artifacts on all scales: from large ships, houses to engine parts, etc.
Fireclay is used in metalworking industries as it has a high resistance to heat, a strong bonding strength, and many other qualities that require in metallurgical industries.
Conclusion:
In several ceramic forms, such as brick, certain kinds of tiles or sculptures, and pottery clays, fireclays are helpful. They give the body plasticity and particle size distribution and counteract the early melting of any low-temperature clay in the mixture.
