Modeling of Ohiya Clay for Ceramic Tiles Production

A simulation model for producing different types/qualities of ceramic tiles from ohiya clay-feldspar-quartztalc-pyrophyllite mix was developed in this study to advance industrial scale utilization of abundant natural clay reserve at Ohiya in Abia State of Nigeria. This clay mineral remained stranded in the hands of local artisans and small scale investors due to associated defects in most ceramics produced from it using existing/foreign formulations. The effects of varied formulations of ohiya clay, feldspar, quartz, talc and pyrophyllite on the linear shrinkage, modulus of rupture, water absorption, apparent porosity and bulk density of their associated tiles were empirically assessed and simulated using response surface based desirability analysis. The developed simulation predicts optimal settings of these materials for producing any desired tile. Experimental results revealed the simulation's prediction accuracy of over 99% and 47:24:3:20:6 as optimal mix of ohiya clay, feldspar, pyrophyllite, talc and quartz for standard floor tiles production. The respective linear shrinkage, modulus of rupture, water absorption, apparent porosity and bulk density of 8.08%, 52.59kg/cm3, 2.48%, 5.01% and 2.09g/cm3 exhibited by tiles developed using this product design conformed to ISO/NIS set standards. Production of standard floor tiles of 0.0929m2 with this optimal formulation yielded zero defect and 4.64% savings. Hence, adoption of the developed simulation for producing any desired type/quality of ceramic tile from ohiya clay is recommended