History and modern trends of clinker. Facing material - clinker tiles What does extruded method of making tiles mean?

The period of appearance of clinker is considered to be the end of the eighteenth - beginning of the nineteenth century. It was invented in Holland, where it was initially used for paving roads and then for building houses. Gradually, clinker migrated from Holland to neighboring western European countries, and then to us.

In general, clinker is a ceramic tile made from shale clays to which oxides and fluxes have been added. Most often, this material is produced by extrusion, sometimes by pressing.

Extruded clinker tile production process

Extruded clinker tiles are produced by pressing raw materials through an extruder head that has the shape of the future section of the tile.
After this, the resulting tape is cut into piece products of the required size.
The formed products are fired until final sintering in ovens (at a temperature of 1300 ° C).

The result is a durable and dense product with a minimum number of pores and without various inclusions.

Advantages

Due to the fine-porous structure of the material, it has a low level of water absorption and, therefore, high level frost resistance. This is explained by the fact that the material prevents the absorption of water, which becomes ice when frost sets in, increasing in volume and destroying the structure of the fabric.

Clinker is a very durable material that is resistant to:

to the effects of different chemicals and ultraviolet,
to mechanical abrasion.

All clinker products are fire-resistant, resistant to various atmospheric conditions, rotting processes, and the effects of fungi and insects. Clinker does not fade under the influence of the sun's rays.

In addition to all of the above, this material is environmentally friendly, because for its production only natural raw materials are used, fired at extremely high temperatures. This ensures that no harmful substances are released even during the heating of the clinker.

Types of clinker

When the surface of the clinker is covered with glaze (vitreous mass), the products are called glazed. If the surface of the clinker remains natural, then the products are called unglazed. In turn, the glaze can be either without a pattern or with it. In addition, there is facing and technical clinker.

Application

Facing clinker is used for finishing:

facades,
interior spaces houses.

Technical clinker is used for:

road paving,
industrial floors and public buildings,
pedestrian crossings,
patios,
entrances to garages, etc.

These products make excellent floor tiles for hallways, kitchens, and bathrooms. They are good for finishing swimming pools, steps of stairs, terraces, garden paths.

Compared to porcelain stoneware, clinker is cheaper. Thanks to this, it can be used in places that are not subject to constant heavy wear.

Video. Facade cladding with German clinker tiles.avi

Video. Properties of facade clinker tiles. What can be glued to the facade?

Clinker, or clinker ceramics, are artificial stone materials of a set shape, made from clay by firing at temperatures up to 1300C until completely sintered without vitrification of the surface. It does not contain artificial impurities and dyes, and different colors are formed by mixing clay different colors and the firing method. Clinker brick is characterized by low water absorption, high frost resistance and wear resistance, and does not fade or fade over time.

From ordinary products of coarse building ceramics (ordinary bricks, tiles, facing tiles) clinker ceramic materials have higher mechanical strength(compression, abrasion, bending), less water absorption(0-6% by weight). Clinker ceramic materials contain an increased amount of glass phase, as well as quartz and feldspar as the predominant minerals. Clinker structure ceramic materials- dense, micro-grained, without large inclusions or voids. It is this that provides such high performance characteristics:

MOOS hardness scale: 8 points out of 10 (10 points - diamond). Clinker is not scratched by sand, iron, etc.
Abrasion scale: 4-5 points out of 5.
Frost resistance: more than 300 cycles of freezing and thawing.
Water absorption: less than 5%.

Some technical specifications, according to European standards, inherent clinker brick:

It is worth adding that the strength of clinker should be 25 MPa and higher, density 1950 kg/m3 for solid brick, 1600 kg/m3 for hollow brick, up to 2000 kg/m3 for manual brick molding, thermal conductivity 0.5-0.7 watt/mS. These parameters allow the bricks to be resistant to climatic conditions and therefore maintain reliability and attractive appearance for a long time.

The guaranteed service life of high-quality clinker is at least 50 years.

It should be noted that the wide color scheme clinker at present. Just 10–15 years ago we saw mainly two colors – white and red. Nowadays a lot of varieties have appeared on the domestic market. facing clinker. These are dozens of shades. Clinker can be yellow, pink, cream, burgundy - in general, anything. And if you consider that the texture of facing bricks can be different, then the number possible options increases even more. This diversity makes it possible to successfully use facing brick when decorating country houses.

Where are clinker products used?

Clinker products are used where long-term preservation of high operational properties and aesthetic appearance in fairly harsh conditions external influences(mainly for high-quality cladding (finishing) of various architectural forms): classic stairs; figured window sills and external ebbs, parapets and similar structures; facing smooth transitions, junctions and junctions of planes with various types finishing (gallery floors, open terraces, landings, corner finishing), fireplaces; platforms; paths; stairs; porch; car parking; garages; near the swimming pools; flower beds and other elements of the landscape, facade and interior

How to cover a porch with clinker steps?

Laying of tiles and steps for indoor and outdoor use must be done on a prepared, level, dry base. When laying tiles on a cement (concrete) base, it must be completely dry in order to avoid the appearance of cracks during operation. inside tiles and protruding cement stains on the surface of the tiles. One of the main advantages of clinker tiles is the so-called. "game of color" Before laying, tiles must be mixed from different boxes, because the tiles in them may differ in tone. For exterior work, it is necessary to use frost-resistant and moisture-proof adhesives and grout. The thickness of the adhesive layer when laying steps or tiles should not exceed 1 cm. When laying, you must ensure that the lines on the back of all tiles go in the same direction, otherwise cracks may occur in the seams between the tiles.

Where does the color heterogeneity in clinker ceramics come from?

The differences in color of clinker are due to the fact that it enters the tunnel kiln in a water-saturated state. The residence time of some elements in the oven is longer (darker), while some are shorter (lighter). The location of the elements in the oven (closer to the edges or center) also affects the color.

Is it possible to lay wall tiles on the floor?

You should not lay tiles intended for wall cladding on the floor. Since the tiles are thinner, have lower mechanical strength and are not tested for wear resistance.

How is clinker processed?

One of the important distinctive features clinker is ease and convenience in working with it. The tiles cut perfectly diamond blade under water pressure.

What is the size discrepancy in the material?

Clinker is an uncalibrated material. Within a batch there may be a discrepancy in the sizes of facade tiles and steps of up to 5 mm. Deviation from the specified dimensions is a consequence of the clinker production method: extrusion of the product occurs using a nozzle equipped with a 3mm thick fishing line, which cuts off blanks of a given size from the total mass of clay. This operation introduces variation in the dimensions of the clinker tiles.

Is it possible to paint clinker facade tiles and with what?

How to clean the facade?

Any dirt that appears on the front surface during laying, gluing or sealing seams should be immediately removed using the dry method.

Do not allow the mortar to dry on the front surface of the brick or tile. Excess adhesive squeezed out from under the tiles into the space between the tiles should be removed so that there is space left for the jointing solution.

How to lay clinker correctly?

When laying bricks/bonding tiles, bricks/tiles from multiple pallets/packages should be used to avoid shade differences between individual batches of products and to ensure a uniform color of the façade.
Clean tools and equipment should be used for laying clinker and gluing tiles. The workplace should be kept clean and tidy.
All contaminants, as well as any solution that gets onto the front surface, should be removed immediately with a dry soft brush or clean water using a damp sponge.
Do not carry out masonry and facing work during rain or frost. It is unacceptable for mortar to leak out of the seams onto the front surface of the masonry.
Fresh masonry/cladding must be protected from moisture with film for 14 days in such a way as to ensure free air circulation.

How to properly rub seams?

For bricklaying and jointing brickwork you can use the same mortar if this mortar is intended for both masonry and jointing.
The jointing solution should have the consistency of damp earth.
Joints between bricks/tiles should be filled using a jointing trowel, the width of which corresponds to the width of the joint.
Jointing mortar should not be rubbed onto the surface of bricks/tiles - this may cause permanent contamination.
The joints between bricks/tiles should be made from the top to the bottom of the façade. First, horizontal seams are made, then vertical ones.

Every owner strives to use only natural materials, different ecological cleanliness. Satisfying customer demand, modern manufacturers offer developers high-tech, time-tested building materials, which include clinker, which has been used by European architects for almost 200 years.

Where and when did clinker appear?

The Dutch were the first to use such material for the construction of roads. This country has very meager reserves of stone. This forced the Dutch to look for a technology for the production of building materials that would not be inferior in properties natural stone. This is how clinker appeared - an environmentally friendly and truly unique material.

Although almost two centuries have passed since its invention, the technology discovered by the Dutch is still used in construction. And clinker is successfully used for internal and exterior finishing buildings for various purposes.

How clinker tiles are made

This building material is made from layered clay, which is quite abundant in Europe. In the old days, to produce clinker, bricks were formed from it, which were then baked at high temperature in special ovens. As a result of firing, the material acquired unique strength.

Modern technology for the production of clinker tiles is also based on single heat treatment clay raw materials. The latter is obtained by pressing or extrusion (extrusion).

The formed blanks are placed in a tunnel kiln for firing. In the center of such a furnace there is a source of open fire, which provides a temperature of about 1360 °C. Clinker blanks are fired within 36-48 hours. For comparison - normal ceramic tiles undergoes only two hours of heat treatment.

To give the clinker its special properties, the blanks are slowly moved to a heat source for gradual heating. After passing the maximum temperature, the product is also slowly moved away to ensure smooth cooling.

Clay is a very plastic material, which makes it possible to produce clinker products various forms s and appointments.

What are clinker tiles?

This building material can be glazed or unglazed, with or without a pattern. According to their purpose, clinker is distinguished for external and interior decoration. There are also technical analogues intended for paving roads, arranging floors and cladding walls in public and industrial buildings.

In the manufacture of clinker tiles we use latest technologies, which allow the production of unglazed and glazed products of various colors without the introduction of artificial dyes. Moreover, such building materials do not fade and are able to maintain the natural tone of clay for many years. Finished clinker products are resistant to abrasion and have a shiny, pore-free surface.

Do you want to build to last? Use clinker

Unglazed clinker products are used for exterior finishing, lining of swimming pools, when arranging platforms, sidewalks, stairs, floors in recreation areas, etc. This material does not form efflorescence, does not slip, and is characterized by low moisture absorption. Immunity to atmospheric factors and frost resistance allow the use of clinker tiles for the design of plinths, facades and other similar objects.

Finishing a building with this building material will not only give it an elegant look, but will also allow you to save a lot of money. Unlike other types of cladding, clinker long time does not need repair.

On at the moment mosaics, ceramic tiles and others are often used for interior decoration modern materials. But they cannot be compared with clinker either in strength or in decorative properties. It is clinker products that allow you to realize the most creative design ideas for the design of baths, saunas, kitchens and other premises.

Firing is the final technological operation of clinker production. During the firing process from a raw material mixture of a certain chemical composition clinker is obtained, consisting of four main clinker minerals.
The composition of clinker minerals includes each of the initial components of the raw material mixture. For example, tricalcium silicate, the main clinker mineral, is formed from three molecules of CaO, the oxide of the limestone mineral, and one molecule of SiO2, the oxide of the clay mineral. The other three clinker minerals are produced similarly - dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate and tetracalcium aluminoferrite. Thus, to form clinker, the minerals of one raw material component - limestone and the minerals of the second component - clay must chemically react with each other.
Under normal conditions, the components of the raw mixture - limestone, clay, etc. are inert, i.e. they do not react with one another. When heated, they become active and begin to exhibit mutual reactivity. This is explained by the fact that with increasing temperature, the energy of moving molecules solids becomes so significant that mutual exchange of molecules and atoms is possible between them with the formation of a new compound. The formation of a new substance as a result of the reaction of two or more solids is called a solid-phase reaction.
However, the speed chemical reaction increases even more if some of the materials melt, forming a liquid phase. This partial melting is called sintering, and the material is called sintered. Portland cement clinker is fired until sintered. Sintering, i.e., the formation of a liquid phase, is necessary for more complete chemical assimilation of calcium oxide CaO by silica SiO2 and thereby obtaining tricalcium silicate.
Partial melting of clinker raw materials begins at a temperature of 1300° C. To accelerate the reaction of formation of tricalcium silicate, the clinker firing temperature is increased to 1450° C.
Thermal units of different design and operating principles can be used as installations for producing clinker. However, rotary kilns are mainly used for this purpose; approximately 95% of clinker is produced in them from the total output, 3.5% of clinker is obtained in shaft kilns and the remaining 1.5% in thermal units of other systems - sintering grates, reactors for burning clinker in suspension or in a fluidized bed. Rotary kilns are the main heating unit for both wet and dry clinker production methods.
The firing apparatus of a rotary kiln is a drum lined inside with refractory materials. The drum is installed at an angle on roller supports.
From the raised end, liquid sludge or granules enter the drum. As a result of the rotation of the drum, the slurry moves towards the lowered end. Fuel is fed into the drum and burned from the lowered end. The hot flue gases generated move towards the material being fired and heat it. The burned material emerges from the drum in the form of clinker. Coal dust, fuel oil or natural gas. Solid and liquid fuels are supplied to the furnace in an atomized state. The air required for fuel combustion is introduced into the furnace along with the fuel, and is also additionally supplied from the furnace refrigerator. In the refrigerator it is heated by the heat of the hot clinker, cooling the latter at the same time. The air that is introduced into the furnace along with the fuel is called primary, and the air received from the furnace refrigerator is called secondary.
The hot gases formed during the combustion of fuel move towards the material being burned, heat it, and cool themselves. As a result, the temperature of the materials in the drum increases all the time as they move, and the temperature of the gases decreases.
The broken nature of the material temperature curve shows that when the raw material mixture is heated, various physical and chemical processes occur in it, in some cases inhibiting heating (flat sections), and in others promoting sharp heating (steep sections). The essence of these processes is as follows.
The raw material sludge, which has an ambient temperature, enters the furnace and is suddenly exposed to the high temperature of the flue gases and heats up. The temperature of the exhaust gases decreases from approximately 800-1000 to 160-250 ° C.
When heated, the sludge first liquefies and then thickens and, with the loss of a significant amount of water, turns into large lumps, which, with further heating, turn into grains - granules.
The process of evaporation of mechanically mixed water from sludge (sludge drying) lasts up to approximately 200° C, since the moisture contained in the thin pores and capillaries of the material evaporates slowly.
Due to the nature of the processes occurring in sludge at temperatures up to 200 ° C, this zone of the furnace is called the evaporation zone.
As the material moves further, it enters the region of higher temperatures and chemical processes begin to occur in the raw material mixture: at temperatures above 200-300 ° C, organic impurities burn out and the water contained in the clay minerals is lost. The loss of chemically bound water by clay minerals (dehydration) leads to the complete loss of the clay's binding properties and pieces of sludge crumble into powder. This process lasts up to temperatures of approximately 600-700° C.
Essentially, processes occurring in the temperature range from 200 to 700 ° C, this zone of the furnace is called the heating zone.
As a result of the presence of the raw material mixture at this temperature, calcium oxide is formed, therefore this zone of the furnace (up to a temperature of 1200°) is called the calcination zone.
The temperature of the material in this zone increases relatively slowly. This is explained by the fact that the heat of flue gases is spent mainly on the decomposition of CaCO3: to decompose 1 kg of CaCO3 into CaO and CO2, 425 kcal of heat is required.
The appearance of calcium oxide in the raw material mixture and the presence of high temperature determines the beginning of the chemical interaction of the oxides of silicon, aluminum and iron found in the clay with calcium oxide. This interaction occurs between oxides in the solid state (in solid phases).
Reactions in solid phases develop in the temperature range of 1200-1300 ° C. These reactions are exothermic, that is, they occur with the release of heat, which is why this zone of the furnace is called the exothermic reaction zone.
The formation of tricalcium silicate occurs already in the next section of the furnace in the region of highest temperatures, called the sintering zone.
In the sintering zone, the most fusible minerals melt. In the resulting liquid phase, 2CaO-Si02 is partially dissolved and it is saturated with lime to 3CaO-Si02.
Tricalcium silicate has a significantly lower ability to dissolve in the melt than dicalcium silicate. Therefore, as soon as its formation has occurred, the melt becomes supersaturated with respect to this mineral and tricalcium silicate falls out of the melt in the form of tiny solid crystals, which are then, under given conditions, capable of increasing in size.
The dissolution of 2CaO-Si02 and the absorption of lime by it does not occur immediately in the entire mass of the mixture, but in its individual portions. Consequently, for more complete assimilation of lime by dicalcium silicate, it is necessary to keep the materials for a certain period at the sintering temperature (1300-1450°C). The longer this exposure is, the more completely the binding of lime will occur, and at the same time the larger the 3CaO-Si02 crystals will become.
However, it is not recommended to keep clinker at the sintering temperature for a long time or to cool it slowly; Portland cement, in which ZCaO - Si02 has a fine-crystalline structure, has higher strength.
The duration of clinker exposure depends on the temperature: the higher it is in the sintering zone, the faster clinker is formed. However, with excessively high, and most importantly sharp increase temperature, a lot of melt quickly forms and the mixture being fired may begin to clump. The large grains formed in this case are more difficult to heat up and the process of transition of C2S to C3S is disrupted. As a result, the clinker will be poorly burned (it will contain little tricalcium silicate).
To speed up the process of clinker formation, as well as in cases where it is necessary to obtain clinker with a high content of 3CaO-Si02, certain substances are used (calcium fluoride CaF2, iron oxide, etc.) that have the ability to reduce the melting point of the raw material mixture. The earlier formation of the liquid phase shifts the process of clinker formation to the region of lower temperatures.
During the sintering period, sometimes all the lime in the mixture does not have time to be completely absorbed by silica; the process of this assimilation proceeds more and more slowly due to the depletion of the mixture in lime and 2CaO Si02. As a result, in clinkers with a high saturation coefficient, which require maximum assimilation of lime in the eide ZCaO Si02, free lime will always be present.
1-2% free lime does not affect the quality of Portland cement, but more high content causes uneven changes in the volume of Portland cement during hardening and is therefore unacceptable.
The clinker from the sintering zone enters the cooling zone (VI), where cold air flows move towards the clinker.
The clinker leaves the cooling zone at a temperature of 1000-1100 ° C and for final cooling it is sent to the furnace refrigerator.

Ceramic clinker tiles – building material, manufactured for several centuries. Today, as before, it remains popular and is used everywhere: it is used to line the steps of cottages and public buildings, floors, walls, fireplace portals, and swimming pools. IN lately production of thermal panels lined with clinker tiles has been launched. This material is practically indistinguishable in appearance from high-quality brickwork.

It is produced in different textures: with a rough (matte) surface and glossy. The color palette is also very different: from dark brown to light ocher or yellow. The surface of the material can be covered with glaze. Dimensions of standard tiles are 245x66x8mm.

The color palette is quite varied from dark brown to light ocher or yellow.

From the origin story

The founders of the production of clinker tiles were the Dutch, who were forced to use “sea” clay to produce this type of artificial stone due to the lack of natural material. This happened at the beginning of the 19th century.

At first this artificial stone roads were paved, but then they began to clad the facades of buildings with it.

Subsequently, the Poles picked up the baton: they learned to produce very high-quality and inexpensive tiles, which they began to export to many European countries. We have also established production, but, unfortunately, the quality of domestic material is still inferior to foreign samples.

Tiles of various shapes, for example, concave, convex or even in the form of an angle, can be made using the extrusion method, which you can read about below.

Some information about production

The process begins with mixing different varieties clay with the addition of fireclay, feldspar, quartz sand and fighting earthenware. The resulting mixture is ground and crushed to a homogeneous mass using special mills. The next stage is drying. The result is a granular substance needed as a raw material. The tiles are formed either by pressing or by extrusion.

The pressing process involves filling the mass into special forms, its compaction and pressing high pressure. Extrusion occurs with the addition of water and mixing of the raw materials until a dough-like mass is obtained. The resulting mass is passed through a special hole, the dimensions of which correspond to the dimensions of the finished product. The emerging strip-blank is cut to length.

The color of unglazed tiles depends on the porosity of the clay and its iron content. Clinker products undergo a much longer firing procedure and at a higher temperature than regular tiles: 1.5 days at 1500 °C.

During firing, the basic qualities inherent in this material: high density(due to complete sintering of the clay), resistance to mechanical damage, temperature changes and abrasion. Its water absorption is 5 times less than that of ordinary tiles: this ensures high frost resistance.

Features of different manufacturing methods

Each of the above methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Pressing makes it possible to obtain clinker tiles with more accurate dimensions and high surface quality. However, the extrusion method requires lower financial costs, which means products obtained in this way are cheaper. In addition, extrusion allows you to produce (unlike the pressing method) tiles of various shapes, for example, concave, convex or even in the form of an angle. Another feature of the extrusion method is that the resulting product has conical grooves that improve adhesion to the base.

Material advantages

Clinker tiles have a number of advantages over conventional ceramic tiles, namely:

it is more wear-resistant;
has greater strength;
it has a longer service life;
due to high frost resistance, it can be used for outdoor work;
has low level moisture absorption.

Such characteristics are this finishing material received thanks to the peculiarities of production technology. During the firing process, a top layer is formed that performs protective function: thanks to this, the tiles do not become dirty, do not change color and are easy to clean with any chemical or even abrasive agent.