Overview
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ABSTRACT
Clay materials are fundamental elements in buildings throughout Europe. They are obtained from a mixture of common clay minerals. The first step of the process is to obtain a clay mixture with the required plasticity avoiding blends which have either a too fat or lean texture. The mixture is then formed by means of extrusion and pressing. The shapes are then dried in a controlled-atmosphere dryer. The final firing in a continuous tunnel kiln at 900°C – 1 100°C gives the product its final properties and makes it fit for use. The level of grey energy production is high but equipment is more and more efficient and increasingly use renewable energy . Other environmental budgets remain limited.
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Read the articleAUTHOR
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Michel KORNMANN: Ingénieur civil des Mines, Doctor of Engineering - Technical consultant (Lancy Geneva) - Former Technical Director, Centre Technique des Tuiles et Briques (Paris)
INTRODUCTION
Terracotta materials have been used in building for thousands of years, in countries all over the world. They have adapted to the evolution of construction and its imperatives. The characteristics of terracotta products enable them to be used effectively in all areas of construction. These include exposed and concealed bricks, roof tiles, floor tiles, chimney blocks, cladding, rustic tiles and more.
These materials are made from common clays. After thorough preparation of the mixture, the "clay" is shaped, dried and finally fired. Products often turn red on firing (except for calcareous clays, whose firing color varies from pink to yellow and white).
This dossier describes the various stages in the manufacturing process, from extraction in the quarry, through clay preparation, shaping, drying and firing, to storage of the finished products on the yard.
In the associated article provides information on the properties of terracotta and describes the various terracotta products available on the French market. , . The use of these products in structures is the subject of other parallel articles.
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Terracotta materials
Clay and plasticity
Bibliography
Article references [C 905v2]
Websites
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ALVEOTER
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Blog on the latest terracotta news
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Monomur
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Events
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Batimat, Reed Expositions, international construction show held every two years in Paris (odd-numbered years).
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Bau, Europe's leading construction trade fair, held annually in Munich
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Standards and norms
Calculating structures
- Base de conception des ouvrages - NF EN 1990 (Eurocode 0) -
- Sollicitations des ouvrages - NF EN 1991 (Eurocode 1) -
- Partie 1-1 : règles communes pour ouvrages en maçonnerie armée et non armée - NF EN 1996-1-1 (Eurocode 6) -
- Partie 1-2 : Calcul du comportement au feu - NF EN 1996-1-2 -
- Annexe nationale - NF EN 1996-1-2/NA -
- Partie 2 : conception,...
Regulations
Arrêté du 22 septembre 1994 relatif aux exploitations de carrière et aux installations de premier traitement des matériaux de carrière.
Arrêté du 2 février 1998 relatif aux prélèvements et à la consommation d'eau ainsi que aux émissions de toutes natures des installations classées pour la protection de l'environnement soumises à autorisation.
Decree of May 3, 2007 on the thermal...
Directory
Clay manufacturers (non-exclusive)
European producers
France
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Imerys, international mineral products company
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Monier...
Statistical and economic data
Brick and tile industry
Below is a brief overview of the bricks and tiles market in France, Europe and the rest of the world.
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In France
Clay production in France is just over 6 million tonnes (in 2007). Table 1 shows the breakdown of production by product for...
Definitions
Some of the definitions used in the main article are given below.
The cation exchange capacity (CEC) of a soil is a measure of the total number of sites available for cation exchange, or the total number of exchangeable cations, or the number of negative sites in the soil matrix. The unit is the milliequivalent per 100 grams (mEq/100 g) of soil, or the centimole of positive charge per kilogram, where...
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