A Competitive assessment of the U.S. advanced ceramics industry /

Item 231-B-1

A remote engineering solution for automating a roller hearth kiln

Remote engineering (also known as online engineering) may be defined as a combination of control engineering and telematics. In this area, specific activities require computacional skills in order to develop projects where electrical devives are monitored and / or controlled, in an intercative way, through a distributed network (e.g. Intranet or Internet). In our specific case, we will be dealing with an industrial plant. Within the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of activities related to remote engineering, which may be connected to the phenomenon of the large extension experienced by the Internet (e.g. bandwith, number of users, development tools, etc.). This increase opens new and future possibilities to the implementation of advance teleworking (or e-working) positions. In this paper we present the architecture for a remote application, accessible through the Internet, able to monitor and control a roller hearth kiln, used in a ceramics industry for firing materials. The proposed architecture is based on a micro web server, whose main function is to monitor and control the firing process, by reading the data from a series of temperature sensors and by controlling a series of electronic valves and servo motors. This solution is also intended to be a low-cost alternative to other potential solutions. The temperature readings are obtained through K-type thermopairs and the gas flow is controlled through electrovalves. As the firing process should not be stopped before its complete end, the system is equipped with a safety device for that specific purpose. For better understanding the system to be automated and its operation we decided to develop a scale model (100:1) and experiment on it the devised solution, based on a Micro Web Server.

Els valors límit d'exposició professional i límits biològics per a agents químics en l'àmbit de treball, mesura i control. Evolució de la normativa sobre el plom i la seva incidència sobre els accidents laborals i malalties professionals en la indústria ceràmica

L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és l'estudi dels valors límit d'exposició professional previstos en la normativa actual com a valors de referència per a l'avaluació i control dels riscos que comporta l'exposició a agents químics presents en el lloc de treball, fonamentalment per inhalació, per protegir la salut dels treballadors. No es pretén realitzar ni un estudi epidemiològic ni un estudi d'higiene, només s'utilitzen els valors d'exposició professional per analitzar el compliment de la normativa sobre la presència de plom en l'ambient de treball, i comprovar si el compliment de la normativa comporta la millora de la salut dels treballadors en funció de la millora de les concentracions de valors ambientals o biològics de l'exposició dels treballadors. La Directiva 98/24/CE deroga les Directives 80/1107/CEE sobre la protecció dels treballadors contra els riscos relacionats amb l'exposició a agents químics, físics i biològics durant el treball, i la Directiva 82/605/CEE, sobre la protecció dels treballadors contra riscos relacionats amb una exposició al plom metàl·lic i als seus compostos iònics durant el treball. S'analitza l'evolució de la normativa sobre la presència d'agents químics en l'ambient de treball, i en concret el plom, i la seva incidència en els accidents laborals i malalties professionals, i el compliment de la normativa al final d'un cicle marcat per l'entrada en vigor de la Directiva 98/24/CE. Per realitzar l'anàlisi anteriorment esmentada s'estudia la indústria ceràmica de les comarques gironines, de la construcció, de l'alimentació i decorativa, a través de les mesures de plom en l'ambient laboral i les mesures de plom en sang dels treballadors d'aquesta indústria des de 1991 a 1996.

Formulação e caracterização de matérias-primas para revestimento cerâmico Semi-Poroso com adição de chamote de telhas

The ceramics industry in Piauí is nowadays with 55 industries where 11 are in Teresina which is the mainstream of the state, producing 55 million shingles; in which 10 % is of this production is wasted being sometimes thrown on the margins of rivers, roads and highways provoking an environmental degradation. The main goal of this work is to verify the potential of producing semi porous ceramic using grog of shingles, on the first part of this work bodies-of-proof were produced from a basic formula of an industry, doping it with 5 %, 10 %, 15 % and 20 % in mass and in the second part of this work some bodies-of-proof were produced from a formula where one raw material was substituted by 50 % of grog and another substituting it all by grog, bodies-of-proof made of a basic formula previously announced was used for experiment control.The grog and the raw materials were characterized by: particle size analysis , thermal differential analysis, X ray diffraction , X ray fluorescence, an thermal gravimetric analysis and rational analyses. The bodies-of-proof were sintetisized in an industrial oven obeying the normal cycle adopted by an industry, with peak temperatures of 1135 oC and a fast burning cycle of 25 minutes having as energetic fuel liquefied petroleum gas . The pieces that were obtained by this were submersed in rehearsed physics of: water absorption of, apparent specific mass, apparent porosity, lineal retraction, rupture tension to the flexural and dilatometry; mineralogical analysis for X ray diffraction; and microstructural for electronic microscope of sweeping. For all the formulas with addition of grog, superior priorities to the requested by the requirements for semi porous and for the formula to F2-2,5 superior priorities to standard formulas which justifies the incorporation of the shingles in mass for the semi porous ceramic

Avaliação da potencialidade dos resíduos de gesso de revestimento incorporados em formulações de massas cerâmicas

In building, during the implementation process of major or even minor works, there is a considerable waste of plaster in the steps of coating, making it is a negative factor because of the loss of these processes constructive remains incorporated into buildings, as component, whose final dimensions are higher than those projected. Another negative factor is the disposal of waste gypsum in inappropriate places, thus contributing to the degradation of environmental quality, due to the leaching of this waste and may trigger the formation of sulfuric acid. Therefore, based on this picture, processing and reuse of waste coating, combined with the ceramics industry, which is a strong potential in the reuse of certain types of waste, promote mutual benefits. Thus the overall objective of this work is to conduct a search with scientific and technological aspects, to determine the effect of the incorporation of the residue of plaster for coating, from the building, the formulation of bodies for red ceramic. The residue of plaster coating was collected and characterized. They were also selected raw materials of two ceramic poles of the state of Rio Grande do Norte and formulations have been made with the intention of obtaining those with the best physical and mechanical properties, the residue was added the percentage of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%, in the best formulation of ceramic industry 1 and, according the properties analyses, 5%, 10% and 15% as the best results of ceramic industry 2. The samples were sintered at temperatures of 850 ºC, 950 °C and 1050 °C, the heating rate of 5 ºC / min with isotherm of two hours. They were submitted to testing technology, such as lineal shrinkage, water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent density and bending resistence. The residue incorporation best results in the formulations of mass in red ceramic, were observed between the temperatures of 850 ºC and 950 ºC, in those formulations that have illite clays and medium plastic in their composition, in the range of 0% to 15% residue incorporated

Otimização do processo de síntese do aluminato de cobalto via método de polimerização de complexos (MPC) através do planejamento fatorial fracionado

In the ceramics industry are becoming more predominantly inorganic nature pigments. Studies in this area allow you to develop pigments with more advanced properties and qualities to be used in the industrial context. Studies on synthesis and characterization of cobalt aluminate has been widely researched, cobalt aluminate behavior at different temperatures of calcinations, highlighting especially the temperatures of 700, 800 and 900° C that served as a basis in the development of this study, using the method of polymerization of complex (CPM), economic, and this method applied in ceramic pigment synthesis. The procedure was developed from a fractional factorial design 2 (5-2) in order to optimize the process of realization of the cobalt aluminate (CoAl2O4), having as response surfaces the batch analysis data of Uv-vis spectroscopy conducted from the statistic software 7.0, for this were chosen five factors as input variables: citric acid (stoichiometric manner), puff or pyrolysis time (h), temperature (° C), and calcinations (° C/min), at levels determined for this study. By applying statistics in the process of obtaining the CoAl2O4 is possible the study of these factors and which may have greater influence in getting the synthesis. The pigments characterized TG/DSC analyses, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDS) in order to establish the structural and morphological aspects of pigment CoAl2O4, among the factors studied it were found to statically with increasing calcinations temperature 700°< 800 <900 °C, the bands of Uv-vis decrease with increasing intensity of absorbance and that with increasing time of puff or pyrolysis (h) there is an increase in bands of Uv-vis proportionally, the generated model set for the conditions proposed in this study because the coefficient of determination can explain about 99.9% of the variance (R²), response surfaces generated were satisfactory, so it s possible applicability in the ceramics industry of pigments

Estudo de massa cerâmica triaxial visando à otimização do ciclo de queima da indústria de cerâmica estrutural

Over recent years the structural ceramics industry in Brazil has found a very favorable market for growth. However, difficulties related to productivity and product quality are partially inhibiting this possible growth. An alternative for trying to solve these problems and, thus, provide the pottery industry the feasibility of full development, is the substitution of firewood used in the burning process by natural gas. In order to contribute to this process of technological innovation, this paper studies the effect of co-use of ceramic phyllite and kaolin waste on the properties of a clay matrix, verifying the possible benefits that these raw materials can give to the final product, as well as the possibility of such materials to reduce the heat load necessary to obtain products with equal or superior quality. The study was divided into two steps: characterization of materials and study of formulations. Two clays, a phyllite and a residue of kaolin were characterized by the following techniques: laser granulometry, plasticity index by Atterberg limits, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, mineralogical composition by Rietveld, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. To study the formulations, specifically for evaluation of technological properties of the parts, was performed an experimental model that combined planning involving a mixture of three components (standard mass x phyllite x kaolin waste) and a 23 factorial design with central point associated with thermal processing parameters. The experiment was performed with restricted strip-plot randomization. In total, 13 compositional points were investigated within the following constraints: phyllite ≤ 20% by weight, kaolin waste ≤ 40% by weight, and standard mass ≥ 60% by weight. The thermal parameters were used at the following levels: 750 and 950 °C to the firing temperature, 5 and 15 °C/min at the heating rate, 15 and 45min to the baseline. The results showed that the introduction of phyllite and/or kaolin waste in ceramic body produced a number of benefits in properties of the final product, such as: decreased absorption of water, apparent porosity and linear retraction at burn; besides the increase in apparent specific mass and mechanical properties of parts. The best results were obtained in the compositional points where the sum of the levels of kaolin waste and phyllite was maximal (40% by weight), as well as conditions which were used in firing temperatures of 950 °C. Regarding the prospect of savings in heat energy required to form the desired microstructure, the phyllite and the residue of kaolin, for having small particle sizes and constitutions mineralogical phases with the presence of fluxes, contributed to the optimization of the firing cycle.

Aplicação da metodologia de planejamento de experimentos para formulação de massas cerâmicas para telhas

Rio Grande do Norte State stands out as one great producer of structural clay of the brazilian northeastern. The Valley Assu ceramic tiles production stands out obtained from ilitics ball clays that abound in the region under study. Ceramics formulation and the design of experiments with mixture approach, has been applied for researchers, come as an important aid to decrease the number of experiments necessary to the optimization. In this context, the objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of the formulation, temperature and heating rate in the physical-mechanical properties of the red ceramic body used for roofing tile fabrication of the Valley Assu, using design of mixture experiments. Four clays samples used in two ceramics industry of the region were use as raw material and characterized by X-ray diffraction, chemical composition, differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particle size distribution analysis and plasticity techniques. Afterwards, they were defined initial molded bodies and made specimens were then prepared by uniaxial pressing at 25 MPa before firing at 850, 950 and 1050 ºC in a laboratory furnace, with heating rate in the proportions of 5, 10 e 15 ºC/min. The following tecnologicals properties were evaluated: linear firing shrinkage, water absorption and flexural strength. Results show that the temperature 1050 ºC and heating rate of 5 ºC/min was the best condition, therefore presented significance in all physical-mechanical properties. The model was accepted as valid based of the production of three new formulations with fractions mass diferents of the initial molded bodies and heated with temperature at 1050 ºC and heating rate of 5 ºC/min. Considering the formulation, temperature and heating rate as variables of the equations, another model was suggested, where from the aplication of design of experiments with mixtures was possible to get a best formulation, whose experimental error is the minor in relation to the too much formulations

Estudo do potencial refratário de argilas sílico-aluminosas do Rio Grande do Norte

The segment of the structural ceramics industry is one of the most important to the economy of Rio Grande do Norte. The supply chain makes a total of 206 companies that are distributed in 39 counties, concentrated in three regional centers: Seridó Apodi / Assu and great Natal. The ceramic industry in the state is around 80 million pieces per month, with 50,186 million of these tiles, which makes the Rio Grande do Norte one of the largest manufacturers of product in the Country. Different ceramic products can be manufactured by mixing two or more clays and accessory minerals. Mixtures acquire characteristics and form what is called the ceramic body. Refractory masses have a high melting point and thermal shock support. Its composition contains refractory clays with a little iron oxide and material fluxes. A line of semi-refractory ceramic products that stands out for its high added value are the bricks in ivory or red, used in building barbecues, fireplaces, wood stoves and braziers. The aim of this study was to use alumina-clay or silica- alumina-clay to the industrial RN, for the production of refractory bricks semi-refractory burning light. Clay and Kaolin were characterized for their chemical and mineralogical composition, immediately after ceramic bodies were made with different concentrations of the components, they were raised, pressed and sintered. After sintering the resulting products were characterized in terms of mechanical, thermal and dimensional than the characterization by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. After obtaining the results, we concluded that the studied clay can be used for the production of semi-refractory bricks

Avaliação dos impactos ambientais gerados por uma industria cerâmica típica da Região do Seridó/RN

The present work deals with an evaluation of the environmental impacts arised from a typical ceramics industry located in the Seridó region of Rio Grande do Norte State. That region contains the largest State s producing basin of red ceramics. The district of Parelhas stands out as the largest producing nucleus. The studied company is located in the rural zone of Parelhas, it was selected as study object because it possesses a great part of the representative characteristics of the Region s ceramics park as a whole. Impacts produced at the implantation and operation phases of the Company had been evaluated, being this last phase subdivided in stages of the productive process. Among found adverse impacts, they are distinguished: losses in air quality, undesirable noises, microclimatic alterations, impoverishment of the ground, elimination of the vegetal covering, agricultural exodus, crisis in cattle agriculture and, superficial and underground water contamination, beyond risks ocupational diseases and industrial accidents. The Leopold s interactive matrix, that summarizes results of the work, was presented in form of 15 (fifteen) tables that display impacts classified in qualitative and quantitative way. Totally, 175 (one hundred and seventy-five) significant impacts produced by this Company had been identified, being 114 (one hundred and fourteen) negative, 38 (thirty-eight) positive and 23 (twenty-three) among mixed, indefinite and inert ones. In the work, before the evaluation of impacts properly said, it was constructed a diagnostic table of the ambient situation at a previous moment to implantation of the Company, elaborated on basis of inferences and historical researches. It was proposed still, mitigative steps for adverse impacts identified, as also elaborated a program to accompaniment and observing that the fulfilment of indicated mitigative steps guarantees. The final part of the work contemplates conclusions and suggestions that aim to influence positively the presented sight in terms of environmental management

Sizing by Elutriation of Finely Ground Quartz and Pyrite

Elutriation, as a means of sorting mineral particles, has received marked attention during the last fifteen years. Its use in the ceramics industry for the sorting of clays was recognized even before this.

Business strategy and the environment in a traditional manufacturing sector

This research is concerned with the relationship between business strategy and the environment within traditional sectors. It has sought to learn more about the strategic environmental attitudes of SMEs compared with large companies operating under the same market conditions. The sector studied is the ceramics industry (including tableware & ornamental-ware, sanitary ware & tiles, bricks, industrial & advanced ceramics and refractories) in the UK and France. Unlike the automotive, oil, chemical, steel or metal processing sectors, this industry is one of the few industrial sectors which has rarely been considered. The information on this sector was gathered by interviewing people responsible for environmental issues. The actual programme of valid interviews represents approximately a quarter of the UK and French ceramics industry which is large enough to enable a quantitative analysis and significant and non-biased conclusions. As a whole, all companies surveyed agreed that the ceramics activity impacts on the environment, and that they are increasingly affected both by environmental legislation, and by various non-legislative pressures. Approaches to the environmental agenda differ significantly among large and small companies. Smaller companies feel particularly pressed both by the financial costs and management time required to meet complex and changing legislation. The results of this survey also suggest that the ceramics industry sees environmental issues in terms of increased costs rather than new business opportunities. This is due principally to fears of import substitution from countries with lower environmental standards. Finally, replies indicate that generally there is a low level of awareness of the current legislative framework, suggesting a need to shift from a regulatory approach to a more self-regulated approach which encourages companies to be more proactive

Uso da cinza do bagaço da cana-de-açúcar como matéria-prima na substituição dos fundentes para aplicações em porcelanato

The present study aims to evaluate the potential use of bagasse ash from sugar cane (CBC) as a flux, replacing phyllite and/or feldspar in standard industrial mass production of enameled porcelain, verifying the possibility of the CBC contribute to the overall reduction of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the ceramic mass. To this end, as a result of the research, we characterized the raw material components of the standard mass (clay, phyllite, kaolin, feldspar, quartz and talc) and the residue of BCC, by testing by XRF, XRD, AG, DTA and ATG. Specimens (CDP) were manufactured in the dimensions of 100 mm x 50 mm x 8 mm in uniaxial matrix under compaction pressure of 33 MPa, assembled in batches of 3 units subsequently sintered at temperatures of 1150°C to 1210°C by varying the Rating Scale at 10°C, heating and cooling ramp of 50°C/min and 25°C/min, with levels of 1 min, 3 min, 5 min, 8 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min and 60 min. analyzing the results of the physical properties of water absorption (WA), linear firing shrinkage (LFS), dilatometric analysis (DTA), flexural strain (SFT) and SEM of the sintered bodies in order to verify the adequacy of CDP to ISO 13006, ISO 10545, NBR 13816 standards; NBR 13817 and NBR 13818. The study showed that the formulations that best suit the requirements of the standards are:. G4 - which was applied in 10% of replacing the CBC phyllite, sintering temperature 1210 ° C for 10 min and porch, and F3 - with application of 7.5% of CBC to replace the feldspar in the sintering temperatures of 1190°C, 1200°C and 1210°C for 10 min and porch. These formulations showed better performance regarding the formation of primary and secondary mullite, with considerable reduction of cracks and pores, meeting the prerequisites of standards for glazed porcelain. The results shows that the use of the CBC as a flux in the preparation of porcelain mass meets standard parameters for the manufacture of the product, and thereby can reduce environmental impact and the cost of production. Therefore, it is recommended to use this residue in the ceramics industry, due to its industrial, commercial and collaborative viability for sustainability.

A evolução do turismo no Seridó: uma análise à luz do modelo de Butler

Tourism is configured as an activity that presents constant movement could boost local development in the economic, sociocultural and human in locations with potential for structuring and such. Because it is a dynamic activity, tourism allows changes in its flow, extending the periods of seasonality. To this end, in view of the aforementioned dynamics, it becomes relevant to the presence of tourism planning, initially starting from the government so that it create laws and standards and develop projects for the management of activities in an orderly way, seeking citizen participation, making essential the presence of actors and agents in local tourism, expanding democracy and knowledge of their place of origin. In this scenario, the Ministry of Tourism is emerging with the National Tourism Plan which incorporates among its actions, the Regionalization Program Guide, adopting a model of regional local management, a participatory manner, through the bodies of governance imposed at the poles, and the shares of public policy in their various departments most responsible for promoting tourism in pole Seridó. This scientific work aims to analyze the pole Seridó, under the theory of tourism area life cycle (TALC) proposed by BUTLER (1980), locating actions for tourism and chronology of the locality applied the proposed process activity. For both the methodology is descriptive and exploratory, qualitative approach, historical, descriptive and narrative level, non-probability sampling, using secondary sources, through documents and other records occurred during the planning processes in the region, in order to have access to information related to the planning process of tourism in Seridó, using as a way to research the data collected the technique of content analysis. As a conclusion of this study it is observed that from the survey in relation to the history of tourism in the region, economic activities of livestock, cotton industry, mining and ceramics industry were responsible for the initiation of tourism in the locality through the flow directed to the same, the insertion of the first hotels and performing traditional events, giving rise to the demand for public policies that aided in directing the activity being, therefore, inserted into the engagement phase, the second phase proposed by BUTLER (1980) model, and the study was terminated with suggestions for the continuation of tourism in the region.