In Brick manufacturing where the firing temperature is only 900oC to 1000oC maximum, the heat required for drying almost equals to the heat required for firing.
The mechanical strength of clay ware increases during drying and can be increased to the maximum extent by heating up to 300oC. The dry strength of clay increases with increasing Base Exchange capacity and the amount and the nature of the adsorbed ions. A Na+ clay has twice the strength of an H+ clay. The strength of non plastic and low plastic body is low, however this can be dried quickly since it contains very small quantity of water during process. By treating clay bodies with hot water, steam and a little soda the drying strength may be increased up to 144%.
To be contd……….
