Quartz is the second most common mineral on the Earth's surface and is the most common silica crystal. It is found in abundance in almost all types of rocks. Quartz is generally transparent or translucent depending on its composition and is used extensively in glassmaking and ceramics. In addition, its industrial-strength, non-reactive properties and silicon dioxide contribution make it an essential raw material for producing many essential items.
Ball clays are fine-grained, highly plastic clays used in manufacturing ceramic whiteware and sanitaryware. They usually contain three minerals - kaolinite (20-80%), mica (10-25%) and quartz (6-65%). Ball clays have the unique properties of extra plasticity, enhanced unfired strength and exhibit light color on firing. Selected ball clays can even give pure white end products making their applications widespread. It is often referred to as plastic clay.
Soda Feldspar is generally a clean white mineral that sources sodium, alumina and silica along with some potassium and calcium. No actual materials have the ideal formula shown here, they all have some K2O and small amounts of other contaminants.
Potassium feldspar refers to a number of minerals in the feldspar group, and containing potassium: Orthoclase (endmember formula KAlSi3O8), an important tectosilicate mineral that forms igneous rock. Microcline, chemically the same as orthoclase, but with a different crystalline structure.
Kaolin is also known as china clay. It is soft and white in the natural state and is used to manufacture porcelain pieces. This clay is named after Kao-ling hill in China from which it was mined for centuries. Made up of kaolinite mineral, this clay is mixed with 20-35% water to initiate its plastic properties. This mixture can easily be molded to give a variety of shapes which is retained once the pressure of mold is removed. It has very white burning characteristics which makes it suitable for whiteware manufacturing.
Kaolinite is a silicate clay mineral with the chemical composition
Al2Si2O5(OH)4
In the commercial and industrial sectors, fly ash has a wide variety of applications and uses, though it is primarily known for improving the durability and workability of concrete mixes. Fly ash is also a filler in paints, adhesives, and metal and plastic composites. It's commonly used as structural fill for road construction and fly ash can be used to make bricks, ceramic tiles, plaster, Portland cement, and ready-mix cement. Fly ash can be separated into two main types, known as Class F and Class C. Class F fly ash contains particles covered in a type of melted glass allowing it to reduce the risk of concrete expansion and increase resistance to sulphates and alkali-aggregate reactions. Class C fly ash contains a higher percentage of calcium oxide, making it more effective in strengthening structural concrete.
Ground granulated blast furnace slag is a latent hydraulic binder forming calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) after contact with water. It is a strength-enhancing compound improving the durability of concrete. It is a component of metallurgic cement (CEM III in the European norm EN 197).
Microsilica in concrete contributes to strength and durability two ways: as a pozzolan, microsilica provides a more uniform distribution and a greater volume of hydration products; as a filler, microsilica decreases the average size of pores in the cement paste.
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