Effect of Particle Size of Quartz on Bending Strength of Porcelain

The bending strength of porcelain body has been experimentally studied because of its economic importance in ceramic industry. The maximum bending strength is obtained in the <44µ particle sized quartz containing porcelain at 1300OC. The distribution of closed pores, their geometric shapes and possible link with each other control the bending strength of the ceramic body. The presence of un-melted fine quartz grains in the ceramic body also increases the bending strength. It has been found that the bending strength increases with increasing bulk density of the ceramic bodies and the firing tem-perature up to 1300OC, but at temperature above 1300OC, the bending strength decreases due to bloat-ing of isolated pores and the disappearance of quartz, which are also associated with a decrease in bulk density. The purpose of this study is to investigate on the differential changes of bending strength of porcelain bodies upon using quartz of various grain sizes at different firing temperatures