Assessment of Utilizing Gypsum and Clays in Manufacturing Thermal Insulators

Mazin Y. Tamar-Agha1, & Suzan N. D. Mohamed2

1 College of Science, University of Baghdad, 2 The State Company of the Geological Survey and Mining, Baghdad /Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17656/jzs.10165

Abstract

Utilization of gypsum, clay and marl from the Fatha Formation (Middle Miocene) in Darbandi Bazian - Sulaimani Government were assessed for manufacturing thermal insulators. The raw materials were analyzed mineralogically, chemically and physically. They were then crushed and ground to less than 125 pm. Ten batches were prepared by mixing 70/30, 60/40,50/50, 40/60 and 30/70 weight % ratio of gypsum to clay or marl, 210 test samples were formed by semi-dry pressing, oven dried at 105C and

fired at 1000, 1050 and 11100 oC with a rise of 100 oC/h and one hour soaking time. The fired briquettes

were tested later on to assess their suitability as thermal insulator. The results of physico-mechanical tests

showed that the linear shrinkage is 0.13 to 3.75 o/o, apparent porosity is 30.8 to 41.4 %, water absorption

17.4 to 28.0 %, bulk density is 1.48 to 1.78 g/cm3, compressive strength is 100.1 to 438.5 kg/cm2 and

modulus of rupture is 31.5 to 76,5 kg/cm2. Meanwhile, four samples were selected to investigate their

thermal conductivity (k) and found that it ranges between 0.3 and 0.4 w/m. oC, which reveals that they are

good insulators.

Keywords: Thermal insulators, structural bricks, ceramics, gypsum.  

References

I. Bates, R.I.., Geology of the Industrial Rocks and Minerals. Dover Pub. Inc., New York, 1969, 459.

2.Mirza, T.A., Assessment of Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary Clays from North Iraq for Ceramic Purposes. Unpul. M.Sc. thesis,  College of Science, University of Baghdad. 1997, 106.

3. Al-Hakeem, F.A.A., Assessment of Some Neogene Clay fron North of Iraq for Ceramics. Unpubl. M.Sc. thesis, College of  Science, University of Baghdad, 1998, 100.

4. Al-Nuaimi, TA., Utilization of Iraqi Gypsic Compounds and Kaolinitic Clays in the Manufacturing of Thermal and Refractory  Insulators. Unpul. Ph.D. thesis, College of Science, University of Baghdad, 2000, 74.

5. Budnikov, A., the Technology of Ceramics and Refractories. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 1964, 647.

6. MacKenzie, R.C., Differential Thermal Analysis. Academic Press Inc., London, 1972, 607.

7. Kloss, W.S., Differential Thermal Analysis. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1974, 781.

8. Mason, B. and Berry, L.G., Elements of Mineralogy. Freeman, San Francisco, 1967, 431.

9. Nesse, W.D., Introduction to Mineralogy. Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 2000, 442.

10. Hibbard, M.J., Mineralogy: A Geologist's Point of View. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Boston, 2002, 562.

11. Norton, F. H., Elements of Ceramics, 2"I ed., Addison-Wesley Publ. Co., Reading, M. A.. 1974, 275.

12. Al-Kass, R.M., Hadi, M.A., Khalil, N.1. and Takarli, S.F., Effect of fine calcite grains present in the soil on the properties of  clay brick. Building Res. Cen., 1985, 3 (2), 34-56.

13. Rado, P., an Introduction to the Technology of Pottery. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1989, 258.

14. Singer, F. and Singer, S., Industrial Ceramics. Chemical Publ. Co., New York, 1963, 1297.

15. Ryan, W., Prpperties of Ceramic Raw Materials. 2"d ed., Pergamon Press, Oxford Press, Oxford, 1978, 113.

16. Worrir, K.G., Mukundan, P., Pillai, P.K. and Damodran, A.D., Particle size of quartz and vitrification of porcelain bodies.  Interceramics , 1989,38(5) 19-21.

View Full Article