Fireclay

Description

An infusible material that can withstand high temperatures without melting or cracking. Fireclay usually contains a high proportion of alumina (at least 45%) in silica with trace impurities such as oxide iron oxide, lime, and magnesia. Fireclay can generally withstand temperatures to at least 1600C. It is used for making firebrick, kiln linings, muffle furnaces, and crucibles.

Synonyms and Related Terms

"fire-clay (Br.); argile rfractaire (Fr.); argila refractria (Port.); refractory clay;

Brand names: Klingenberg clay

Authority

• Ralph Mayer, Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Robert Fournier, Robert Fournier, Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Pottery, Chilton Book Company, Radnor, PA, 1992

• Random House, Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000