The use of three mineral materials from Burkina Faso in the formulation of porcelains has been studied. The characterization results showed that the clay NONG contains kaolinite (62%), illite (18%), quartz (17%) and rutile (1%). The pegmatite PEG contains albite (17%), muscovite (44%) and quartz (34%). The sand SAB is mainly composed of quartz. Some samples were shaped by casting into porous molds and sintered at temperatures ranging from 1200 °C to 1300 °C. Characterization of the specimens sintered at 1250 °C evidenced interesting results: a density ranging from 2.3 to 2.5; a water absorption below 0.5%; an open porosity of less than 1%; a flexural strength above 35 MPa. Consequently, materials fired above this temperature are closely related to the porcelain group.
Clay, Characterization, Formulation, Sintering, porcelain