Evaluation of some Indian bentonites for their utilization in the whiteware industry

Six Indian bentonites, treated as well as untreated, were incorporated into Amraoti-Betul clay, a non-plastic clay from Madhya Pradesh for studying the resulting improvement in plastic and dry properties. The properties studied include the effect of addition of bentonites on raw colour, fired colour, water of plasticity, Atterberg�s number, plasticity by feel, dry linear shrinkage, dry modulus of rupture, suspensibility and workability. The dry MOR value of the clay increased from 222 psi to 942 psi with only 4 addition of treated bentonite. Into a standard porcelain composition, 1 to 4 of untreated and treated bentonites were added and the study revealed that only 1-2 of dry treated bentonite improved the suspensibility and casting properties markedly. The plasticity of a number of clay- bentonite mixes was also examined by a Brabender plasto- graph. The effects on the dry and fired colour of a whiteware composition after incorporation of bentonites were studied. © 1977, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC