Evaluation of attrition milled microgranite for possible use as a fluxing agent in porcelain tile bodies

A microgranite new material was evaluated for possible use as a fluxing agent in porcelainized tile production. Microgranite samples were collected from a large ceramic production region in Karaköy in the south-eastern part of Bilecik province in Turkey (NW Turkey), ground in a jar mill and milled in a semi pilot-scale attritor under wet conditions at different milling times. Particle size distributions and some physical properties of asmilled microgranite powders were measured. All the samples were fired under industrial conditions at 1200°C for 49 min. The physical and thermal properties of the fired microgranite samples such as water absorption, linear firing shrinkage, bulk density and sintering and softening temperature were measured. Fired samples were subjected to colour measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal analysis (DTA-TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for the analysis of structure and the effects of firing temperatures. The results indicate the possible use of fine grained microgranite material as an effective fluxing agent in porcelain tile bodies.