Ceramsite, as the name suggests, is a ceramic particle. Most of the appearance characteristics of ceramsites are round or oval spheres, but some imitation gravel ceramsites are not round or oval spheres, but irregular gravel. The shape of ceramsite varies with different processes. Its surface is a hard shell, which is made of pottery or enamel, has the function of water and gas insulation, and endows the ceramsite with high strength. Because there are many raw materials and varieties of ceramsite, there are many colors. The color of roasted ceramsite is mostly dark red and ochre red, and some special varieties are grayish yellow, grayish black, grayish white, cyan gray, etc.
The particle size of ceramsite is generally 5 ~ 20mm, and the maximum particle size is 25mm. Ceramsite is generally used to replace gravel and pebbles in concrete.
Because there are many raw materials and varieties of ceramsite, there are many colors. Unburned ceramsite has different colors due to different solid wastes. It is generally gray black and has no gloss on the surface. It is not as smooth as roasted ceramsite.
Lightness is the most important of many excellent properties of ceramsite, and it is also the main reason why it can replace heavy sand and stone. The internal structure of ceramsite is characterized by fine honeycomb. These micropores are closed, not connected. It is formed because gas is wrapped into the shell, which is the main reason for the light weight of ceramsite.
The fine particles of ceramsite are called pottery sand. There are many fine particles less than 5mm in the ceramsite. In production, these fine particles are screened out by a screening machine, which is customarily called ceramsite sand. Ceramic sand has slightly higher density and good chemical and thermal stability. Ceramic sand is mainly used to replace natural river sand or mountain sand to prepare light aggregate concrete and light mortar. It can also be used as fine aggregate of acid resistant and heat-resistant concrete. The main varieties are clay ceramic sand, shale ceramic sand and fly ash ceramic sand. The purpose of using ceramic sand is also to reduce the self weight of buildings. Pottery sand can also be used for soilless cultivation and industrial filtration.
