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Ceramic Fabric

Definition

The combination of clay matrix and included particles (temper, natural inclusions, and voids) that makes up a fired ceramic; the raw material from which thin-section petrographic description is built.

Related terms

Dehydroxylation
The loss of structural hydroxyl groups from clay minerals (principally kaolinite) between about 450 and 600 °C during firing; an irreversible reaction...
Grog
Crushed fragments of previously fired ceramic mixed into new clay as temper; recognisable in thin section by their fired-clay texture, which differs...
Mullite
An aluminosilicate phase (3Al2O3·2SiO2) that nucleates in fired clay above roughly 980 °C, coinciding with the characteristic exothermic reaction of the kaolinite-to-mullite...
Provenance
The documented origin of a media file: the device that captured it, the time and location of capture, the chain of custody...
Temper
Material deliberately added to clay before forming to reduce drying shrinkage and firing cracking; common temper types include sand, grog (crushed old...

Explained in

  • Brick, Ceramic, and Ceramic PetrologyThe combination of clay matrix and included particles (temper, natural inclusions, and voids) that makes up a fired ceramic; the raw material from which thin-s...

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