An Industrial Evaluation and Chemical and Physical Properties of the Clay from the Taq Taq Area in Northern Iraq for some Ceramic Applications

Claystone beds exposed in the Mukdadiyah (Lower Bakhtiyary) and Injana (Upper Fars) Formations at Taq Taq in the Kurdistan Region-North of Iraq will be used in this study for Ceramic Industry. The estimation of qualitative variation of Clay beds is dependent on the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the ceramics industry. The claystone is sandy mud composed of 49-58% clay, 22.6 31.6% silt, and 10.4-31.4% sand. Linear shrinkage was seen in the Fired claystone specimens between - 0.23 to 4.32 %. bulk density 1.02 1.42 gm/cm3, and the efflorescence is varied from nil to Heavy. The main constituents of the investigated clays are SiO2, CaO, and Al2O3 ranging between (39.4 -43.3%,11.6-16.32%, and 8.52-10.17%) respectively. A significant amount of Fe2O3 is recorded in the samples, ranging from 4.87 6.02%. As per Iraqi Standard Standards No. 25, the claystone of the studied area is an appropriate content for the construction of pierced and conventional bricks in classes B and A for the wall tiles are class B3, Grade 2 and 3 for Roofing tiles.