RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR OF A PORCELAIN SUSPENSION CONTAINING MAGHNIA BENTONITE

Abstract

The present work focuses mainly on the use of bentonite of Maghnia which is calcium type and is mixed with other clay materials for use in the construction of traditional porcelains. This study considers the properties of four mixtures with proportions of 0 to 15wt. % of bentonite. The rheological results of the mixtures obtained are rich in plastics components and this increases the rheological parameters namely the viscosity, the density, the residue on sieve of 0.063μm diameter, pH and the thixotropy. At high viscosity appears rigidity that led to low shrinkage minimizing cracks from appearing of the layer paste deposited on the mold in a limited time, these variations are strongly related to electrolytes which ensure basic pH (9.73) of the medium, the hydrophilic behavior, and to the phenomenon of swelling of the bentonite clay. Finally, this study has shown that 10%wt. % mixture uploading of bentonite ensures good results rheological adequate for traditional porcelains