Effect of microstructure on cutting processability of porcelain tile subjected to different firing cycles

The fast firing technique is one of the most important ways to save energy consumption and improve production efficiency in the porcelain tile industry. In the actual production, excessively short firing cycle time easily causes the cutting edge defects. This work examines the effect of microstructure on cutting processability of a representative composition of a commercial porcelain tile fired at 1200 °C with two different firing cycles as follows: 40 min and 60 min. The phase composition and microstructure were investigated by using a combination of techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The result indicated that it was beneficial to extend firing cycle (from 40 min to 60 min) for the cutting processability of porcelain tiles, which was due to the formation of positive microstructures such as secondary mullite needles and small-volume residual quartz.