Influence of the granulation process in the fabrication of porcelain tiles by dry route

• Grant number: 11/23216-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Anselmo Ortega Boschi
• Grantee: Anselmo Ortega Boschi
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Fábio Gomes Melchiades

Abstract

Dry route process - employed by 70% of the Brazilian producers of ceramic tiles - presents several environmental advantages in comparison to wet route process, i.e. lower CO2 emissions, lower consumption of water and thermal energy, etc. Considering the particularities of the dry route process, it can be considered the main technological innovation in the Brazilian ceramic tiles sector. However, this route have not been employed in the production of porcelain tiles in Brazil, that represents the typology of ceramic tiles with the highest growing rate of production in the country in the last decade. Previous works showed the importance of the agglomerates prepared during the granulation process by dry route process and indicated they are one of the main barriers to allow the fabrication of porcelain tiles of large sizes by this process. In this context, the general objective of the project is to evaluate the effects of the granules characteristics prepared by dry route processes on the properties of porcelain tiles of white colors. Through the project, the performance of granules prepared by dry microgranulation (dry route process) will be evaluated in comparison to spray dried granules (wet route process). It is expected to determine the isolated effects of granules sizes, moisture content, batch composition and additives on the behavior of the granules prepared by dry microgranulation. The obtained results will help to identify the necessary characteristics of the granules and the best conditions of granulation to guarantee the fabrication of porcelain tiles by dry route. (AU)