Firing Clay Test Bars
Section: Clay Bodies, Subsection: Testing
Description
Being able to make good consistent test bars and fire them in a consistent and proper way is a basic requirement of getting valid results for shrinkage and porosity measurement.
Article
The FORESIGHT Ceramic Database software defines many tests that can provide valuable information about the physical properties of clays, yet require little expensive test equipment to perform. You will probably agree knowing the chemistry of a clay material means little when compared to understanding its physical properties.
FORESIGHT test definitions are text-only and explain in detail exactly how to perform the procedures. We have tried to make-do with straight text where possible so that information can be sent via email and posted on our BBS and the Internet in a form easily used by anyone on any computer. While it is possible to describe most procedures adequately via text, I will show you two photos here that will help clarify two things in the procedure for the SHAB test (shrinkage and absorption properties) for making clay test bars.
The procedure given for stacking the bars is illustrated here. This angular stacked pattern encourages even heating of all bars compared to laying them on the kiln shelf, which acts as a heat-sink.
Notice that the three bottom bars are sawed from an insulating fire brick. The bars are piled at an angle to each other so that shrinkage has less likelihood of collapsing the stack.
A stamp of this type is very important so that all specimens can be accurately impressed with readable identification numbers and other markings as described in the FORESIGHT test procedures. Out Bound Links
- (Tests)
SHAB - Shrinkage/Absorption
In Bound Links
Pictures
A stamp for marking identification on SHAB clay test bars
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The future of ceramic recipe, material and physical testing record keeping is here.
Maintain your recipe database on-line
- Login to a private account or work with others in a group account (e.g. university).
- Nothing to install (access it using your web browser). It is always the latest version.
- Easy to import your existing data.
- As many side-by-side recipes as you want.
- Many ways to search and classify glaze and body recipes.
- Glaze and body recipes are robust, with units-of-measure, unlimited pictures with individual titles and descriptions.
- Add variations to a recipe; each with its own pictures, descriptions and name/code-number extensions.
- Recipes can link to typecodes, projects and firing schedules (all managed in their own areas).
- Standard reports and mix ticket reports with last-minute-totalling; variations report as if they are a complete recipe.
- Video tutorials, help system, contact form on every page, dedicated messaging and support ticket systems.
- It is an industrial-strength database system (unlimited capacity, fast, reliable, scalable).
Imports many file formats
- Glaze recipe formats supported: HyperGlaze, GlazeGhem, GlazeMaster, Matrix, INSIGHT XML recipes (single and multiple), INSIGHT SQLite DB files.
- Assign a batch number to imports, and later search by batch.
- Assign multiple typecodes to imported glaze and body batches (to classify) and search on these later.
- Prepend character sequences to glaze recipe names during import.
- Import the pictures and pair them to their corresponding records automatically.
- One click to automatically export the database to an SQLite DB database file and download it (for use with desktop INSIGHT or just as a backup).
- Export and import individual glaze recipes as text or XML.
Perfect for Education
- Ceramic study programs can now accumulate material, recipe and testing data year-after-year, students can login and together build a valuable ceramic glaze and body knowledge resource.
- Students already have internet connected devices, computers are not even needed in the class.
- The Reference Manager gives you quick access to the Digitalfire Ceramic Reference Database.
Learn more..
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Watch the video or sign-up at http://insight-live.com.