Refractory material - Kaolin
Kaolin is a non-metallic mineral with a pure white and fine texture, soft soil-like, and very good fire resistance and plasticity. Kaolin has a wide range of uses, mainly in refractory materials, ceramics, papermaking, and other fields. Secondly, it is used in pencils, daily cosmetics, soaps, pesticides, medicines, textiles, petroleum, chemicals, building materials, national defense, and other industrial sectors.
Why is kaolin so widely used? This is mainly due to its various properties.
Kaolin has high calcination and high purity. For raw ceramic materials, the whiteness after calcination is more important. The higher the calcination whiteness, the better the quality.
Particle size distribution of kaolin. Particle size distribution refers to the proportion (expressed as a percentage) of particles in natural kaolin within a given continuous range of different particle sizes (expressed in millimeter or micrometer mesh). The particle size distribution characteristics of kaolin are of great significance to the selectivity and process application of ore. Its particle size has a great influence on its plasticity, mud viscosity, ion exchange capacity, molding performance, drying performance, and firing performance.
Plasticity of kaolin. The mud formed by kaolin combined with water can be deformed under the action of external force. After the external force is removed, the property that still maintains this deformation is plasticity. Plasticity is the basis of the molding process of kaolin in ceramic blanks and is also the main process technology indicator.
Refractory of kaolin. Refractory refers to the ability of kaolin to resist high temperatures without melting. The temperature at which it softens and begins to melt under high-temperature operation is called refractoriness.
Kaolin has strong acid resistance but poor alkali resistance. This property can be used to synthesize molecular sieves.
