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David Richerson - Modern Ceramic Engineering (Materials Engineering) - CRC Press (1992) - 810-812
David Richerson - Modern Ceramic Engineering (Materials Engineering) - CRC Press (1992) - 810-812
and ability to be produced with close surface flatness tolerances are es-
pecially critical.
18.4 POTTERY
Perhaps the earliest ceramic articles fabricated by human beings were pot-
tery, using natural clay minerals. The essential properties of the clay were its
plasticity or workability when water was added and its ability to become hard
and impermeable when fired.
Pottery is still fabricated and used today in large quantity. The basic
essentials are still the same. The major differences are that the raw materials
are usually processed to a higher degree, the compositions are more varied
and sophisticated, firing is done in electric or gas furnaces, and the surfaces
are usually coated with a glass glaze. The primary factor is cost. The clay
minerals, feldspar, and silica sand that make up most pottery compositions
are "dirt cheap" and require relatively little processing. These pottery
compositions are the basic ingredients of art pottery, such as vases, mugs,
and knick-knacks, and of flowerpots, dishes, bricks, sewer pipe, and a
variety of other articles.