Clinker brick. Facing material - clinker tiles What happens to extruded clinker when heated

Clinker, or clinker ceramics, are artificial stone materials of the established form, made from clay by firing at temperatures up to 1300C until complete sintering without surface vitrification. It does not contain artificial impurities and dyes, and various colors formed by mixing clay different colors and roasting method. Clinker bricks are characterized by low water absorption, high frost resistance and wear resistance, do not fade or fade over time.

From conventional products rough building ceramics (ordinary brick, tiles, facing tiles) clinker ceramic materials have a higher mechanical strength(for compression, abrasion, bending), less water absorption(0-6% by weight). Clinker ceramic materials contain an increased amount of glass phase, as well as quartz and feldspar as the predominant minerals. The structure of clinker ceramic materials is dense, micro-grained, without large inclusions, voids. It is she who provides such high performance characteristics:

• MOOS hardness scale: 8 points out of 10 (10 points - diamond). Clinker is not scratched by sand, iron, etc.
• Abrasion scale: 4-5 points out of 5.
• Frost resistance: more than 300 freeze and thaw cycles.
• Water absorption: less than 5%.

Some of the technical specifications European standards inherent in clinker bricks:

It should be added that the strength of the clinker should be 25 MPa and higher, the density of 1950 kg/m3 for solid, 1600 kg/m3 for hollow, up to 2000 kg/m3 for manual brick molding, thermal conductivity of 0.5-0.7 watt/mS. These parameters allow the bricks to be resistant to climatic conditions and therefore for a long time to maintain reliability and attractive appearance.

The guaranteed service life of high-quality clinker is at least 50 years.

It should be noted a wide range of colors of clinker at the present time. Even 10-15 years ago, we saw mainly two colors - white and red. Now a lot of varieties of facing clinker have appeared on the domestic market. There are dozens of shades. Clinker can be yellow, pink, cream, burgundy - in general, anything. And if we take into account that the texture of the facing brick is different, then the number options increases even more. This diversity makes it possible to successfully apply facing brick when decorating country houses.

Where are clinker products used?

Clinker products are used where long-term maintenance of high operational properties and aesthetic appearance under conditions of rather harsh external influences (mainly for high-quality cladding (finishing) of various architectural forms): classic stairs; curly window sills and external ebbs, parapets and similar structures; lining smooth transitions, junctions and joints of planes with various types of finishes (floors of galleries, open terraces, landings, finishing corners), fireplaces; sites; tracks; stairs; porches; parking lots; garages; around the pools flowerbeds and other elements of the landscape, facade and interior

How to clad a porch with clinker steps?

Laying tiles and steps for indoor and outdoor use must be carried out on a prepared, even, dry base. When laying tiles on a cement (concrete) base, it must be completely dry in order to avoid the appearance of cracks with inside tiles and protrusions of cement stains on the surface of the tile. One of the main advantages of clinker tiles is the so-called. "color play" Before laying the tiles must be mixed from different boxes, because. the tiles in them may differ in tone. For outdoor work, it is necessary to use frost-resistant and moisture-proof adhesives and grout. The thickness of the adhesive layer when laying steps or tiles should not exceed 1 cm. When laying, make sure that the lines on the reverse side of all tiles run in the same direction, otherwise cracks may occur in the joints between the tiles.

Where does the color heterogeneity in clinker ceramics come from?

The difference in color of the clinker is due to the fact that it enters the tunnel kiln in a state saturated with water. The residence time of some elements in the furnace is longer (darker), some less (lighter). The location of the elements in the oven (closer to the edges or center) also affects the color.

Can wall tiles be laid on the floor?

Do not lay tiles intended for wall cladding on the floor. Since the tile has a smaller thickness, less mechanical strength and it is not provided for testing in terms of wear resistance.

How is clinker processed?

One of the important distinctive features clinker is the ease and convenience in working with it. The tile is perfectly cut with a diamond blade under the pressure of water.

What is the size difference in the material?

Clinker is an uncalibrated material. There may be size discrepancy within a batch facade tiles and steps up to 5mm. Deviation from the specified dimensions is a consequence of the clinker production method: the product is extruded using a nozzle equipped with a 3 mm thick fishing line, which cuts blanks of a given size from the total mass of clay. This operation introduces a variation in the dimensions of the clinker tile.

Is it possible to paint clinker facade tiles and with what?

How to clean the facade?

Any dirt that appears on the front surface during laying, gluing or grouting should be removed immediately with a dry method.

Do not allow the mortar to dry on the front surface of the brick or tile. Excess adhesive squeezed out from under the tile into the space between the tiles should be removed so that there is room for the grout.

How to lay clinker correctly?

• During bricklaying / tiling, bricks / tiles from several pallets / packages should be used in order to avoid color differences between individual batches of products and to ensure a uniform color of the facade.
• Clean tools and equipment should be used for laying clinker and gluing tiles. The workplace should be kept clean and tidy.
• All dirt, as well as the solution that has got on the front surface, should be removed immediately with a dry soft brush or clean water with a damp sponge.
• Do not perform masonry and facing works during rain and frost. It is unacceptable for the solution to flow out of the seams onto the front surface of the masonry.
• Fresh masonry/ lining must be protected from moisture for 14 days in such a way as to ensure free air circulation.

How to properly seal the seams?

• For bricklaying and grouting brickwork you can use the same solution if this solution is intended for laying and jointing at the same time.
• The grout should have the consistency of damp earth.
• Joints between bricks / tiles should be filled with a jointing trowel, the width of which corresponds to the width of the joint.
• The grout must not be rubbed onto the surface of the bricks/tiles as this may cause permanent contamination.
• Joints between bricks/tiles should be made from the top to the bottom of the façade. First, horizontal seams are made, then vertical ones.

Word "clinker" Today it is familiar to everyone who has ever thought about building own house or even with a construction site for "you". However, there are dozens of interpretations of this concept, many of which have nothing to do with real clinker. From various sources you can hear that clinker is ceramic brick, artificial ceramic stone, rough uneven brick under the " manual work”, flexible plastic profile with relief "under the brick" and so on and so forth.

According to the Russian Architecture Dictionary (1995), clinker is a brand of high-strength brick for paving roads and flooring in industrial buildings. Using the gullibility of buyers, unscrupulous sellers very often appeal to this concept, trying to increase the interest of customers in own products. One thing is invariable - they try to pass off a variety of Construction Materials, attributing to them unique indicators of frost resistance, environmental cleanliness and special strength (up to M1000).

Meanwhile, clinker today is a certain standard of clay, from which, in the process of the most complex production certified by German legislation, building materials such as facing bricks, brick-like facade tiles, floor and terrace tiles, as well as steps of the highest quality are made.

The material acquires this quality due to the selected - special refractory - clays included in its composition. Raw materials for clinker materials are mined in quarries between England and Holland. This layer of clay, which came to the surface during the ice age, does not contain lime impurities. And that is why the surface of a brick made from it does not lose color over time and “efflorescence” and whitish spots do not form on its surface.

In addition to raw materials, the standard defines the conditions and process of production. Let's make a reservation right away, ceramic products produced in the process of "dry" pressing are not clinker. In special molds under a giant press, clay dust is pressed in an almost dry granular state (moisture content - no more than 4-5%), and then fired also at temperatures of 1000-1200 °. This is how porcelain stoneware is produced - no less spectacular and wear-resistant facing material, however, demonstrating completely different properties. The water absorption of porcelain stoneware is very low, however, for example, in terms of vapor permeability, it is completely opaque, unlike clinker. During dry pressing, disordered particles with large voids appear in the structure of the material, which accumulate water for a long time, which means that they destroy the tile itself at low temperatures.

How to distinguish extruded ceramics from dry-pressed ceramics?

It is according to the stamping grid available on the reverse side of any ceramic tiles, created by the method of "dry" pressing, it is possible to distinguish a ceramic product made by the method of dry pressing from clinker. Clinker tiles have longitudinal stripes on the reverse side.
Clinker material is produced only by extrusion, or wet molding. By analogy with how it happens in the production of noodles, the raw material is “squeezed out” from a large compartment through nozzles desired shape future profile. At the same time, about 15% moisture is still in the mass. Then the mass is cut to a certain format, sent for drying and for a long, more than 36 hours, firing in a tunnel kiln over 100 meters long at the highest temperature of about 1300 degrees until complete sintering, however, without vitrifying the surface. Such a production standard, which involves the use of a specific material and technical process conditions, makes it possible to create a high-density, finely porous, but homogeneous material without large voids and cavities. A homogeneous structure with capillary channels allows you to quickly and easily remove the penetrated moisture to the surface of the tile in the form of water vapor.

It is the structure that provides the high performance characteristics of the clinker. And it makes products made of it surprisingly vapor-permeable, frost-resistant, wear-resistant and immune to the effects of aggressive, including chemical, environments. Low water absorption characterizes all both glazed and unglazed types of clinker products - from leading German manufacturers, such as Feldhaus klinker, the ratio is less than 2%. It is the low water absorption that makes it possible to use clinker both for paving streets and for finishing the facades of houses and interior spaces, with normal and humid environment.

Various technologies for the production of ceramic products determine the properties of fastening such a material to the surface. So, the reverse side of the pressed tile has a very dense, smooth, partially even "glazed" surface. It allows only minor inclusions excipients and elements for small adhesion with adhesive solutions. Under conditioned temperature loads, such a tile breaks off quite easily. Given the low vapor permeability of porcelain stoneware, it is precisely this feature of this facing material that leads to the fact that it is not recommended to glue dry-pressed ceramics directly onto the walls of buildings without creating a ventilated facade.
The reverse side of extruded ceramics, on the contrary, is textured and rough. Adhesive crystals penetrate into the open pores of the reverse side of such a tile, which provides a large bonding area, which means optimal adhesion.

Which ceramics to choose? The most important thing is to divide products into product groups based on their differences.

Clinker tiles are a facing material that has long been actively used in the construction industry. Also in early XIX century, the material was used for laying roads in Holland, immediately after which it began to be used in Russia and Western Europe.

According to historians, the technology for the production of clinker tiles dates back to the 15th century, when people noticed that during the firing of clay bars, they acquire completely different properties (properties of porcelain stoneware).

The kilns in which firing was carried out consisted of only one entrance and small room. Clay bars of various shapes were laid inside it, after which the entrance was laid for several days. The brick inside, under the influence of high temperature, acquired the necessary physical properties.

Clinker tiles are produced mainly from natural material- clay. As a variety colors natural dyes are used. Clay for firing should be different high level refractoriness, and have a minimum amount of various impurities.

Today, there are deposits of high-quality clinker suitable for the manufacture of clinker facing material in Poland, Germany, Spain, Holland and other countries.

Technology for the production of clinker tiles

At the present time, the technology for the production of clinker tiles has no fundamental differences from the production technology in medieval Europe. Although experts in this field distinguish 2 types of production:

• extruding
• semi-dry pressing

Clinker tiles go through a firing process at high temperatures. If, for example, when firing ordinary clay products, the material is exposed to about 800-900 ° C, then in clinker kilns working temperature is 1100-1400 o C.

Due to this temperature regime, the material changes its physical state, becoming more
durable. At the same time, the consumption of energy carriers is 4 times higher than the need, rather than in the processing of clay products in the usual way.

Extrusion method of production involves the use of special equipment - an extruder. The device is presented in the form of a screw meat grinder, into which wet plastic clay is fed. After its grinding, molding is carried out using a vacuum press. After drying, this blank is sent to the kiln for firing. The clinker material after extrusion is different high density, strength, resistance to abrasion, mechanical and chemical influences.

Semi-dry pressing method also involves the pressing process on special equipment. However, unlike extrusion, raw materials are placed in a kiln without pre-drying. As a result of this production method, the clinker product has a low density, due to which it significantly weakens its strength.

The semi-dry pressing method is needed in order to obtain clinker products with low thermal conductivity. And in some cases, such products are valued much more than, for example, resistance to mechanical or chemical stress.

Equipment for the production of clinker tiles

For the production of high-quality clinker products, special equipment is used. In the process of technological processing, clay passes through an extruder, a special device for pressing and creating the necessary shape (machines are tape, vacuum, rotary, lever), pre-drying chambers and a kiln.

The molds for shaping, in which wet plastic clay is placed, have a matrix layer that provides the highest possible level of tightness and thermal insulation to the output material.

The main equipment for the production of clinker tiles, of course, is the kiln. Such a room is a kind of tunnel about 150 m long. It has sources of heating in the form of an open fire.

Clinker elements are fed in special trolleys that move through the kiln at a rather low speed. Thus, there is a gradual heating and firing of clay. Such furnaces operate in continuous mode, which allows firing a large number of products.

Clinker production does not require significant energy consumption. High price finished material can only be justified by the cost of delivering the material (clay) from the deposits. But the price is more than offset by the performance of the material. It is this indicator (price-quality) that makes the use of clinker very popular in various areas of the construction industry.

Technical and operational characteristics of clinker

With the help of high-temperature processing, clinker tiles get most of their positive characteristics. The material has practically no pores, therefore it does not allow moisture to pass through and provides high waterproofing to the room. Mold and bacteria do not accumulate in the walls, so the service life of such walls is much longer than usual.

Clinker tiles are immune to alkalis and acids, so they are often used for facing residential buildings. This material is frost-resistant, which is why it is often used in the construction of building facades in regions with low temperature regime(clinker is able to withstand up to 50-80 frosty seasons). In comparison with conventional brickwork, on which after 1-2 winter periods light traces protrude, the clinker tile retains its original appearance for a long time.

Clinker has a number of advantages:

• low moisture absorption;
• environmental friendliness;
• a wide variety of colors;
• high strength and frost resistance;
• unlimited service life.

This facing material is very often used together with thermal insulation, obtaining perfect coverage for building facades. Such panels are called thermal panels, and are currently already very popular.

Cladding with clinker tiles - known way ennoble a fireplace or stove. This tile has many textures, colors, shades. Especially popular is the tile that imitates brick. It is highly durable and has a long service life.

Not all types of clinker tiles are suitable for facing the fireplace. When choosing a specific material, you need to take into account a number of nuances.

What is taken into account when choosing a clinker?

The main factor that most people pay attention to is appearance. From the point of view of a professional, this factor is not the main one. First of all, you need to look at the expansion coefficient. In order for tiles to stay in place for decades, they need to expand like fireplace walls when heated.

Preparation method

The coefficient of expansion of clinker directly depends on the production method. So, the classic tiles used in facade cladding are distinguished by high density and water resistance. These qualities make it ideal for use in the cold, but prevent expansion when heated.

Dense clinker tiles are produced using the extrusion method. First, the clay mixture passes through specialized molding nozzles, after which the resulting semi-finished products are dried and baked at high temperatures.

Another way to make tiles is semi-dry molding. Clay paste is pressed in special molds and then baked at a high temperature. Drying at this method excluded. The resulting tile is more porous, has less frost resistance. It is not recommended for facade cladding, but it is ideal for decorative finishes fireplaces. The expansion coefficient of this tile is similar to brick.

The reverse side of extruded and molded clinker differ in relief. A relief mesh is applied to the molded clinker tiles. It is easy to distinguish small longitudinal grooves on extruded clinker.

An example of a clinker tile for fireplaces is.

What clinker to use for finishing stoves and fireplaces?

Many European factories produce exclusively extrusive clinker. In some factories, molding clinker is produced by hand. In its manufacture, standard semi-dry molding is used, due to which it acquires heat-resistant properties. Thanks to the molding carried out by hand, each individual tile acquires its own unique appearance and relief.

Clinker tiles are used exclusively for exterior finish. If it is necessary to process the inside of the fireplace, fireclay bricks or other refractory material are suitable for this.

If the fireplace implies high-quality thermal insulation and the heat does not pass through the walls, you can use any clinker tile for decorative finishing.

Features of clinker finishing

A fireplace lined with clinker tiles will heat up less and cool longer. This is due to the characteristics of the material: a small thermal conductivity prevents heat from escaping to the outside, a large heat capacity prevents the tiles from cooling down after the fireplace goes out.

This feature is important for the constant use of the fireplace. If it serves for decorative purposes, this property is not critical.

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Clinker tiles and brick - the most durable, reliable, status, prestigious solution for facade decoration country house or administrative building. It is worth recognizing right away that the clinker is far from the best cheap option, however it will not only increase the market value of your home, but also give you a feeling that is difficult to measurable in money confidence, prosperity And superiority that will stay with you forever.

Pressed or extruded tiles?

By entering the query “clinker tiles” or “clinker facade” into google or yandex, you will receive more than 100,000 articles and proposals, where you will be offered clinker facades of Polish, Russian, Belgian, German and even Belarusian production. and in order not to get lost in these proposals, we offer you to sort out the issue once and for all:

What is hidden behind the phrases “clinker”, “clinker facade” and “clinker tiles”?

Essentially the word CLINKER- this is a derivative from the description of the characteristics of a brick, which came to us from the Middle Ages. It appeared from the word KLINK describing the ringing sound coming from the burnt brick after impact. This sound is for builders before the era of certificates and technical tests was one of the few criteria for assessing the quality of the material from which the walls were laid out. The louder the brick sings, the higher its strength, the less impurities in it and the greater the load it is able to endure. From here, the KLINKER derivative is a sign of reliability, durability, and high quality.

Now, in the era of technological progress, measurement accuracy, precise regulation of production processes and the use of construction and finishing materials, word CLINKER turned more into a beautiful marketing story that accompanies completely different building materials. And in order to choose a reliable and durable material for facade cladding, it is not enough to knock two tiles against each other. You need to dig a little into production technologies. manufacturers and sellers facade materials Clinker is any facing tiles having the appearance of a brick.

That is why we need to figure out which technology for the production of facade tiles guarantees us the durability and status of that very “Clinker”

The dilemma is whether to prefer the aesthetic aspects alone or to consider the technical ones as well. IN this moment There are two technologies for the production of ceramic facades: And cold pressing.

They differ both in the way they are produced and in the features that have a direct impact on cost and efficiency of use. Some of them have, for example, smaller tolerances, others are more resistant to adverse weather conditions. By providing this information, we hope that the investor, based on them, will be able to take informed decisions, taking into account not only your own preferences and expectations, but also technical aspects in order to enjoy the end result in the form of beautiful and durable facades for many years.

Ceramic facade tiles can be obtained using two technologies:

1. Technology extruded clinker.

This traditional technology used in the production of clinker, brick and cobblestone.

Blanks made from plastic masses of refractory purified clay with a moisture content of 15 to 30% are passed through an extruder, which, without creating supernatural pressure and without violating the molecular structure of the raw material, gives future tiles or bricks geometric shape. Then the raw billet is cut into separate products, decorative elements are applied using carbon black mixtures and natural pigments. After that, the blanks enter the tunnel kiln and are fired for 48 hours at a temperature of 1300 degrees C. The firing gives the final shape, creating porosity sufficient for vapor permeability and burning all kinds of organic impurities from the structure of the raw material.

At the output, after a mandatory two-stage quality control, an extruded clinker tile is obtained. clinker with a unique front surface created by the elements of fire, water and earth. Each extruded tile is unique. And there is nothing more to say about the strength of the material that has been fired at extremely high temperatures.

2. Semi-dry pressing clinker.

Tiles are produced by semi-dry pressing. During pressing, a powdery mass with a moisture content of 4 - 6% is compressed in two directions, usually under a pressure of about 200-400 kg / cm2. Under pressure, the movement and partial deformation of the granules occurs, due to which the unfired tile acquires the strength necessary for subsequent operations. During the pressing process, the molecular structure shrinks, reducing the pores that evacuate steam and creating additional internal stress in each individual tile.

What is the difference in technological processes.

aside from the aesthetics appearance between tiles made by pattern pressing and natural firing

On this stage we can select 2 fundamental differences between extruded clinker and semi-dry pressed facade tiles

1. Adhesion. The ability to set and the period of fixation on adhesive solutions when performing outdoor work

Semi-dry persing tiles pressed dry, almost glassy and smooth surface without any open micropores formed after aggressive pressing. The adhesive does not have the ability to penetrate deep into the structure of the plate. This, of course, limits the possibilities of communication with adhesive solution and to obtain sufficient bond strength, specialized adhesive mixtures. Especially when tiles are used on outdoors: not only in frost in winter, but also in summer - the sun and large daily temperature fluctuations can lead to separation of the tile from the substrate (bearing wall).

Pressed tile surface when magnified

In the case they have a porous and rough structure, which provides a large contact surface of the adhesive mortar. Glue easily and deeply penetrates micropores open system, which leads to a special strength of the glued tiles.

The surface of the extruded tile in magnification

2. Vapor permeability. The ability to quickly remove wet vapors from the facade at natural and extreme temperature fluctuations

They have low water absorption, so it may seem that they are more stable and durable. The reality is quite different. It is worth considering the internal structure of the two materials that have a direct impact on the performance and usability of the hob. In the production technology of a dry compressed body, tiles with a structure of compressed chaotic material particles, between which the micropores are closed with very thin capillary channels. This results in low water absorption and also extremely slow water outflow. It is assumed that water has not got inside such products. However, this assumption is purely theoretical. The water remaining in the tile, due to the closed structure and compacted material, cannot be expelled and will expand when frozen in the cold. Therefore, it may cause damage to the tiles. Additional risks of moisture removal from glued tiles. Dry pressed slabs do not have the ability to carry water outside of the substrate. Water partially enters the tile and remaining under it can weaken the bond with the substrate, the supporting frame.

Structure and behavior of water in pressed tiles

Facade clinker Structure and behavior of water in .

The internal structure of the tile obtained by extrusion technology is completely different. During production process extrusion microstructure is not damaged and retains a natural, uniform character. A network of interconnected capillary channels makes it possible to quickly remove moisture to the outside, they have a lower absorbency than, but water easily flows back into environment. The microporous structure makes the facade tile resistant to freezing water left in the tile. In addition, due to its structure, extruded tiles easily get rid of water between the tile and the adhesive layer, which prevents water from accumulating in the area of ​​the tile. Thus, extruded tiles have a higher adhesion to the base and, accordingly, the tiles are less likely to come off the base. The water absorption due to the internal structure is less, the tiles are more durable and more resistant to extreme weather conditions.

Structure and behavior of water in extruded tiles

Facade tiles. Aesthetics.

As already mentioned, the aesthetics of pressed and completely different tiles. Of course, there is no way to say which one is better, because both groups find their supporters and opponents. For some, the smooth surface of the pressed tiles, repeating from element to element, has a plastic artificial look, for others - the surface is too "strict". Pressed products are produced in molds, so that the structure of the model is repeatable, their surface is well reproducible. They are characterized by greater accuracy than extruded, fired products, have smaller tolerances and color. The surface is very smooth, often covered with engobe, therefore, it is possible to argue that they are artificial, plastic with some stretch and only the size resembles a brick. The pressed plates have a thickness of 6-7 mm and, therefore, a fugue (joint filler) fills a small space between the tile and the base, which reduces the water resistance of the wall. The structure of such joints in pressed tiles is smooth and does not resemble the joints used in a brick façade.

When gluing pressed tiles, the tiles cannot be pressed hard enough to create a successful imitation of brickwork. A thin mortar is also less durable and, as a result of wind due to air leakage, may crack and crumble.

Clinkers are made in exactly the same way as clinker bricks, from the same raw materials and using the same technology. So the surface looks similar to the surface of traditional clinker products. They are not as smooth as pressed tiles, they also have higher frost resistance. They are so perfect that after facing the facade, no one can say whether it was tiled or bricked. The range of products produced in extrusion technology is rich natural colors and surface structures like clinker brick. Often façade tile manufacturers offer the same or similar tile and brick colors needed to complete related elements such as façades, chimneys, fences and landscape design. Due to the fact that they are produced in a thickness of 9-14mm, they can use the same grouts as for grouting bricks, therefore, their particle size and structures are identical to the surface of mortars for masonry. We hope that based on the above information, the investor, considering the technical and aesthetic aspects, will be able to make informed decisions and have clad walls with trouble-free operation.