Parametric study of the correlation between location and size of superficial cracks in the deflection of traditional tiles based on finite element analysis

Superficial cracks are one of the common defects in the manufacturing of traditional ceramic tiles. Such defects do not only damage the appearance of the product, but also affect their mechanical behavior. Understanding the correlation between superficial cracks and deflection is key for the traditional ceramic tile industry. However, the related bibliography is very rare, and its importance is systematically ignored during design and manufacturing. In this work, we investigate the impact of the location and size of superficial cracks over the deflection of traditional ceramic tiles. A technique based on FEA (finite element analysis) is validated through experimental data and used to undertake a statistical, parametric research. The study shows that location and depth of the defect have an exponential cross-correlation over deflection and could be characterized together through a single surface. On the contrary, the width and sharpening of the defect barely interfere.