Particle size drastically affects drying performance

Wednesday 25th July 2012

These DFAC testers compare the insight-live.com/glossary/170">drying performance of Plainsman A2 ball clay at 10 mesh (left) and ball milled (right). This test dries a flat disk that has the center section covered to delay its progress in comparison to the outer section (thus setting up stresses). Finer particle sizes greatly increase shrinkage and this increases the number of cracks and the cracking pattern of this specimen. Notice it has also increased the amount of soluble salts that have concentrated between the two zones, more is dissolving because of the increased particle surface area.

Pages that reference this post in the Digitalfire Reference Library:

DFAC Drying Factor, Ball milling, Drying Shrinkage, Ball Clay

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