Subject: Basic Technology

Topic: Processing of Materials

Sub-topic: clay, ceramic and glass

Class: JSS3
Performance Objectives

At the end of this class, You should be able to:

Explain the methods of processing clay ceramics and glass

 State the advantages and disadvantages of each methods

 Describe the uses of clay, ceramics and glass

Produce simple clay, ceramics and glass household wares.

 Clay and it Products
Clay is a stiff, sticky fine-grained earth(soil) that can be
moulded when wet, and is dried and baked to make
products such as bricks, flooring tiles, sanitary wares,
stoneware, earth ware.

Clay is the most common and basic raw material needed

for making of ceramics.
Clay soil
The art of making objects from clay is called pottery
 Ceramic

A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle,

heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant

materials made by shaping and then firing a

non metallic mineral, such as clay, at a high

temperature. Common examples are

earthenware, porcelain, and brick

Procedures in making clay products
The following are the steps in making objects from clay are:

•Preparation of clay

•Moulding process

•Drying

•Kiln firing

•decoration
Preparation of clay: Clay is first dug from the soil, it is

thoroughly mixed with water in the right proportion. The clay is

mixed well in order to remove air bubbles and sand particles, so

that it can be mouldable and to prevent the shape or moulded

material from cracking. After the removal of air and sand, the

sticky clay then undergoes the process of moulding

Moulding process:

The different moulding methods for making clay or ceramics

products are:

a) Pinch pot method

b) The potter’s wheel method

c) Use of Moulds

d) Moulding by mechanical means

(a)Pinch pot Method:

This is the simplest method of

moulding with the clay. This

method consist of forming a

hollow inside a small Pinch pot method

Ball of clay by carefully pressing it between the fingers

until the wall is gradually made thinner, the final pot is

formed by smoothening with fingers and water to

produce smooth finish free from any crack

(b) The potter’s wheel method

This is a device containing a flat disc

which is spurned using either an electric

motor of manual means. As the clay spins

on the disc the article is shaped using the Potter’s wheel method

fingers
(c) Use of Moulds:

The moulds for clay bricks may be

Metallic Sanitary ware
mould
made of wood while the ones for

sanitary wares and tiles are metallic.

Wooden clay brick mould

3. DRYING

Greater care is required during drying of tiles than

for bricks. Direct sunlight on the clay product to

prevent cracking
4. kiln Firing
Firing of clay helps it to become

hardened and durable. The kiln

is usually used for this purpose.

4. Decoration: This is the art of using

varnished or ceramic paint to draw

patterns on the surface of any clay

product to beautify it. this is optional

 Designing and constructing a mould
and making Clay brick
L B

1. In the workshop, use wood, pencil, nails, 1” 1”

saw, hammer etc. and construct a rectangular 9” 6”

brick mould measuring 9”x 6”x 1”

H=1”
2. Collect clay and ground it very well

3. Add water to the clay and mix, also pound the mixture

4. Continue to add water little by little until the clay is soft

and plastic
5.Put some of the mixture in the mould you
constructed

6.Press the soft mixture until the mould is

completely filled

7.Scrap off excess clay on top of the mould with a

flat short piece of wood.

8.Remove the mould from the moulded clay

6.Repeat step 5-8 3times

7.Allow the clay bricks you have moulded to dry in the

sun.

8.Report in your book the different stages you followed

in making your clay brick

Cement
The major raw materials for making cement are limestone and clay.

in Nigeria, there are large deposits of limestone at Nkalagu,

ewekoro, ukpilla.

Limestone is processed into powdered form(calcium oxide) and

mixed with clay to produce cement

Cement Products
(i). Sand Crete (cement block): on the other hand is a mixture of

sand, cement and water. Wooden or metallic moulds forms the

shape that the block will take.

(ii). Mortar: This is a mixture of cement, little sand and water. It is

used for plastering walls, block moulding.

(iii). Concrete objects: Concrete is the mixture of cement,

sand, aggregates and water. It is used in the casting of

cylindrical rings, slabs, beams, lintels, columns and building

constructions.
Procedures in Making Cement Products

(i). Mixing: This is the technique of combining the right

proportion of cement, water, sand and aggregates.

(ii). Wetting: This is using water as a mixing agent.

(iii). Moulding: This is a casting form like

wood, plastic or metal where the wet

mortar is placed to form a shape. The

Mechanised block mould

mould used can be either a manual mould

or mechanised mould.

Manual Block mould

(iv). Curing: This is the technique of drying

moulded materials.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Clay Moulding
Method
Advantages Disadvantages

Hand moulding method is cheap, requiring This method cannot be used for mass production
little or no cost. of pottery products.

The clay worker is able to form diverse If the method is coiling and slabbing method are
geometrical shapes of choice. restricted to only some geometrical shapes.

The potters’ wheel method allows for mass

This method demands a skilled worker to apply
production of pottery wares.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Cement and
Concrete Making Method

Advantages Disadvantages

The manual method here is cheaper In this manual method, a lot of labour is

compared to the machine method. required. It is back-breaking.

During mixing of cement and other

The machine method here can be used for
materials, one is exposed to toxic waste
mass production of blocks and concrete.
inhalation.
Uses of Clay and Ceramics
Clay

•Construction: Since ancient times, clay soil has been

used for construction because of its extraordinary

properties.
Clay is also used in many industrial processes, such as

 paper making,

 cement production,

 pottery,

 and chemical filtering.

Ceramics

Ceramics: are in gas turbine engines.

Bio-ceramics: are used as dental implants and

synthetic bones
Processing of Glass

Glass is processed from sand, soda and lime. These materials

are mixed together and heated in a furnace at a very high

temperature to produce molten glass. At this state, it is then

shaped and allowed to cool so as to form a hard piece.

Stages Involved in Glass Processing

Stage (i) Crushing and Mixing: Solid materials like sand,

soda, lime, potash and lead oxide together with recycled

glass are crushed and grounded into fine paste. This paste

is sieved to remove any coarse particles.

Stage (ii) Heating: This is carried out in a furnace to a

temperature of about 10000C for about 5 to 6 hours.

Meanwhile, additives and flux materials are added as the

mixture is being stirred continuously. This process turns the

mixture into a plastic molten glass.

Stage (iii) Forming: At this stage, the molten glass is

forced into either a flat sheet form or a desired

geometrical shape.
Stage (iv) Annealing and Polishing:

Annealing is a process of cooling glass slowly so

that the molecules of the molten glass

crystallizes without cracking suddenly. Polishing

on the other hand, is necessary to give the

cooled glass a high quality smooth surface.

Types of glass and their uses

The two main classes of glass are:

1.Transparent glass

2.Translucent or Coloured glass.

The different types of glasses include

the following:

i. Pyrex glass:

This is a special type of glass used for

making laboratory equipment Pyrex glass

ii. Safety glass:

This is the type of glass used for making

windscreen of automobiles. Rubber

sheet is usually placed at the core of

this type of glass so as to avoid splinters

Safety glass
from flying during impact.
iii. Plate glass:

This type of glass is used for

glazing doors and windows in

building constructions.
Plate glass
iv. Reinforced glass:

This is a type of glass that has

meshes of wire embedded inside of it

to give it improved strength. Reinforced glass

v. Fibre glass:

This is a type of glass made to resist

fire and heat effects. They are

generally good as electrical

insulators.
Fibre glass
Evaluation
Describe the methods of processing clay and glass

 List at least the advantages and disadvantages of each

methods.

State at least three uses of clay and glass.

Make a simple clay pot using the pinch pot method of

moulding.
THANK YOU
FOR
WATCHING!!!