Investigation into the soft porcelain production by a lesser energy consumption

The impact of the particle sizes of quartz and orthoclase on the soft porcelain body firing temperature as well as its technical properties were investigated by implementing ?the factorial experimental design method? in an attempt to enable soft porcelain production by a lesser energy consumption. The density and strength values of the samples with the particles of different sizes and distribution were measured before firing. Their sintering behaviors were examined by using an optical dilatometer. The phases that originate after firing and their respective amounts were determined by way of Rietvelt X- ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Furthermore, the values such as shrinkage, color, water absorption, density, porosity, thermal expansion, light permeability measurements were achieved on the samples produced from the recipes and the microstructure was studied by SEM. It was determined that an increase of the glassy phase in the microstructure and a decrease of the viscosity are the factors affecting the sintering rate of the soft porcelain body. All experimental results were analyzed by Minitab 13.20 software, and assessed in relation to amount of glassy and residual quartz phases.The effect of the decrease in the particles size of quartz and orthoclase on production costs was calculated by making a comparison for the costs for the firing temperature and the grinding.Key Words: Soft Porcelain, Particle size, Firing temperature, glassy phase, Sintering