THE EFFECT OF RAW MATERIALS ON SOME PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF OSUN STATE CERAMIC TILES

The study evaluates the effect of ceramic raw materials on the physical properties of ceramic tiles with a view to determine the tiles with the best material blend. Ten different blends of clay – feldspar – silica was used to produce ceramic samples. The results show that sample with 60 % clay, 30 % feldspar and 10% silica have the best water absorption (10.43%) and apparent porosity (22.77 %); while sample with 60 % clay, 20 % feldspar and 20 % silica exhibits the highest apparent relative density of 2.79. Sample with 50 % clay, 40 % feldspar and 10 % silica possesses the best bulk density of 1.43 g/cm3. Conclusively, the ceramic sample produced can be useful in the production of wall tiles.