Study of potentiality of raw material of Crato/CE for use in structural ceramics - part I - technological characterization

The limitation of information on chemical, mineralogical and thermal characteristics of raw material used in process of manufacture of ceramic products in the region of Cariri, specifically the city of Crato, state of Ceara, motivated the development of this work, since this region ceramics exist that in a general context they appear as important productive chains in the state. The characteristics were evaluated by tests of limit of liquidity, limit of plasticity, index of plasticity, but also by chemical analysis for fluorescence of rays X, analysis of phases for diffraction of rays X, and thermal analysis (thermogratimetric analysis). The results showed that the raw material has excellent size distribution and characteristics acceptable to the processing of structural components of dark color the red, requiring a mixture of clay with coarse less plastic which granulation, that functions as reducer of plasticity. (author)