Creep Viscosity of Vitreous China

Creep in four-point bend of a set of vitreous china compositions containing different amounts of mullite and quartz has been measured over the stress range 1.5 to 4 MPa at temperatures between 1035°–1100°C. Creep deformation is treated as the flow under load of a viscous liquid-particulate suspension, and creep rates are related to the measured mullite and quartz contents. Kaolinite relicts, containing the larger proportion of the mullite in the system, are expected to behave as rigid particles and to have a major influence on creep rate. The composition of the primarily feldspathic liquid phase has a lesser influence on creep rate.