Dr. rer. nat. Lutz Krakow: Raw materials highlights for the clay brick and tile industry

Geological code determines its firing behaviour (part 2)

The geological formation of clays and clay brick raw materials is variably controlled by an almost infinite number of geofactors. For this reason, every raw material possesses a very individual geological code that characteristically determines its firing behaviour. In the first part of this paper, raw kaolins, extremely plastic clays, consolidated clay stone as well as metamorphous clay schist were analysed in respect of their firing behaviour [1]. This second part of the paper covers the geological formation of the raw materials. Besides marine Dogger kaolins and hydrothermally heated clay schist, magmatic raw materials, such as expanded perlites and plutonitic feldspar sands, are presented.

1 Introduction

“What remains is change, which remains changed”. This quotation from the German historian Michael Richter (*1952) sums up precisely the current situation in the German clay brick and tile industry. For some years now, the constant pressure to come up with innovations has led to a more than breakneck development evidenced in ever better products and state-of-the-art plant engineering. Clay brick and roofing tile manufacturers now offer “high-tech bricks” – a search term that currently returns more than 36 300 hits in just 0.14 seconds in Google. Those manufacturers that jump...

Related articles:

Issue 02/2010 Raw Material Highlights for the Clay Brick and Tile Industry

Clay as a raw material – geological code determines its firing behaviour (part 1)

1 Introduction In this paper the wide range of the forming processes is abstracted in order to indicate relationships between geological formation and technical properties. With reference to selected...

more
Issue 04/2022

Modern raw materials for the clay brick and tile industry Part 4: White rock fillers from Henau Quarry

1 Geological background and location At Henau Quarry, Taunus quartzite from the Lower Devonian is extracted and processed to high-quality aggregates and high-grade chippings. The material is used...

more
Issue 05/2023

Far-reaching transformation in the raw materials sector – What could new raw material concepts for the clay brick and tile industry look like?

The raw materials sector is undergoing far-reaching transformation. This has impacted the clay brick and tile industry, too. A diversification of its raw material base has become more important than...

more
Issue 8/2015

The Palaeozoic – new raw material sources for the clay brick and tile industry (Part I)

The Palaeozoic, the oldest of three geological eras, holds a host of new raw material sources for the clay brick and tile industry. The reason for this trend are increasing restrictions in the...

more
Issue 4/2016 EurGeol Dr. rer. nat. Lutz Krakow & Dipl.-Geol. Franziska Schunke

Current clay potential in Germany | Part 2: Raw materials from the Ordovician and Devonian systems

1 Global geological history and tectonics The geologically oldest clay raw materials used in the German clay brick and tile industry date from the Ordovician. In geological history, the Ordovician is...

more