Title: Determination of the wear resistance of traditional ceramic tile glazes using a pin-on-disk tribometer

Authors: M.P. Gómez-Tena; J. Gilabert; J. Toledo; M.J. Ibáñez; A. Muñoz

Addresses: Physico-Structural Characterisation Laboratory, Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (AICE) – Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), Campus Universitario Riu Sec, 12004 Castellón, Spain. ' Physico-Structural Characterisation Laboratory, Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (AICE) – Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), Campus Universitario Riu Sec, 12004 Castellón, Spain. ' Physico-Structural Characterisation Laboratory, Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (AICE) – Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), Campus Universitario Riu Sec, 12004 Castellón, Spain. ' Occupational Health Unit, Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (AICE) – Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), Campus Universitario Riu Sec, 12004 Castellón, Spain. ' Finished Product Laboratory, Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (AICE) – Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), Campus Universitario Riu Sec, 12004 Castellón, Spain

Abstract: Wear resistance is a key ceramic tile property when it comes to determining foreseeable tile response to mechanical aggressions (scratching and wear) under intended service conditions. The main purpose of the present study consists of subjecting materials of a ceramic nature to wear in a pin-on-disk tribometer in order to characterise these and subsequently to correlate the results with those obtained using other standard techniques, as well as with the microstructure of the materials. The results obtained for the different materials indicated that the presence of crystalline structures in the fired glaze coating raised the wear resistance of these materials, this being greater when the crystals present were smaller. The presence of these crystals in the fired glaze modifies glaze mechanical properties (microhardness, modulus of elasticity, and toughness), microstructure, and wear resistance.

Keywords: ceramic tiles; wear resistance; pin-on-disk tribometer; ceramic glaze; porcelain tiles; PEI method; glaze microstructure; roughness; mechanical properties; microhardness; modulus of elasticity; toughness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2011.044277

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, 2011 Vol.5 No.4, pp.272 - 285

Published online: 14 Oct 2014 *

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