History of the material
For a long time, man developed the technology of clay processing and ceramics production. It began to be used both for facade and for interior decoration of their homes. It was believed that this material perfectly removes fatigue and eliminates family conflicts.
Over time, this material has not lost its popularity. In the middle of the twentieth century, it was used to create small sculptures and architectural design, in most cases, its popularity is due to its properties.
Chamotte filler is a kind of kaolin or refractory clay that is fired to a complete loss of ductility, with some degree of sintering. When firing, water that is bound to it is removed from it chemically.
Product characteristics
The working composition is obtained by roasting in a special rotary kiln at a temperature of 1300-1500 ° C.First it is crushed in special mills to get chamotte powdered, and then inject the rest of the mass. Also used is a broken refractory brick with the same chemical composition, which must be cleaned of the solution and have a low content of impurities, no more than 10%.
The grain composition of the material has a huge impact on heat resistance, gas permeability, strength, dross resistance and porosity of products. The larger the fraction of grains, the more porous the product will be, which means it will be less durable. The chemical composition of chamotte includes such elements: 42% - Al2O3, 0.5% - TiO2, 0.15% -Na2O, 1.0% - Fe2O3, 0.16% - CaO, 0.7% - K2O.
The main advantages of chamotte products are heat resistance( up to 1800 ° C), durability, resistance to unfavorable weather conditions, strength, frost resistance. For example, a brick made of such material is capable of transferring 25-30 cycles of freezing-thawing. Unlike gypsum or concrete, fireclay bricks do not fade.
The drawbacks are that with very frequent heating-cooling, the products lose their strength. Also, in the production of chamotte, a large amount of dust is released and a special chemical resin is used which, when fired, harms the environment.
Application of chamotte
The bulk density and density of chamotte can be determined at normal temperature. These properties affect the performance of refractory materials under the influence of high temperatures. These are the most important quality indicators for fireproof chamotte products.
If light weight refractories are required to reduce the overall weight of the structure or increase thermal insulation, They include lightweight chamotte, pure fatty clays, a mixture of sawdust, peat or other organic substances.
In the fifties of the last century, tiles made of chamotte were widely used. It is decorated with famous Moscow buildings: hotel "Ukraine", Central deli and others. After half a century, the facade of chamotte not only did not lose its attractiveness, but weather conditions did not affect the decoration of such facades.
Today you can make chamotte yourself, how to join the creation of a unique interior, especially for people who want to fill their homes with beautiful and ecological clean things made under the old days. It will be interesting and luxurious to look both on the facade of the building and on the wall in the form of a mosaic. This material is really able to transform the appearance of the room and give it the necessary comfort.