Investigation on physico-sintering and mechanical properties of clay tiles available in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal

Abstract

Physico-sintering and mechanical properties of 37 contemporary and ancient tiles of Kathmandu valley consisting of quartz, feldspars, spinel, mullite and hematite were studied using ASTM standards. Most of the tiles samples, i.e., about 73 % of the total tiles used here, have the water absorption and the apparent porosity in the range of 10-20 % and 20-35 %, respectively, while the bulk density of all the tile samples is found to be in the range of 1.5-2.2 g/cm3. The bulk density of the tile samples is found to be increased with decreasing the water absorption and apparent porosity. Most of the tile samples analyzed in this study showed the flexural strength in the range of 10-30 MPa. The flexural strength of all the clay tile samples is found to be decreased exponentially with increasing the physico-sintering properties. Consequently, durability of the tiles is directly influenced by their physico-sintering properties.