Comparative Study of the Thermal Shock Resistance of an Industrial Tableware Porcelain

Abstract

The effect of the glazed layer and firing conditions (temperature and duration) on the thermal shocks behavior of tableware porcelains has been studied. Two types of glazed layers and three firing conditions, used industrially in the commercial porcelains manufacture, are used in this investigation. Repeated thermal shock tests showed that the glazed layer with higher alumina/silica ratio is more resistant to thermal shocks and that the slow firing cycle, even at a relatively low temperature, is very beneficial for the thermal shock resistance of the porcelain matrix. Three-point bending tests showed that the crazing phenomenon, which affects the glazed layers as well as the porcelain matrix, does not affect significantly the mechanical resistance of these materials.