Influence of Heat Treatment on the Plasticity of Georgia Kaolin

Plasticity of clay dough is strongly influenced by the formation of buffer domain consisted of clay aggregates. Change in plasticity of Georgia kaolin along with heat treatment was analyzed by examining the variation of the particle packing structure of the dough. The plastic behavior did not change by the heat treatment up to 350°C. However, above 350°C, plasticity was reduced together with micron sized pores existing among aggregates. The lower plasticity arose from destruction of buffer domains, caused by the increase of particle size upon sintering.