Cobclay Test Viability and Introduction as Clay Body

Abstract

Cobclay no doubt, is a new coinage in clay body derivation; its fundamentality to ceramics advancements cannot be overly rated. This is exemplified in the ever evolving modification propensity of clay bodies by handlers, both individually and collectively. A development that often gave birth to new lexicons, instanced in porcelain and the duo of paper clay and Cobclay, classified as reinforcement body. Cobclay is conceptualized from the words, cob and clay; it is a blend of water with powdery maize cob, clay and grog. Actual trial composites of maize cob waste, Adobe clay, grog and water were purposively sourced from three depots within LAUTECH campus area of Ogbomoso land. These samples except water were sun dried and grounded to dusts and their residues were weighed and flocculated. Six trial batches were carried out from flocculated samples, aggregated at ratio 0:9:1 for control and replicated at ratios 2:7:1, 3:6:1, 4:5:1, 5:4:1, 6:3:1 respectively. The trials were subsequently subjected to plasticity, shrinkage, porosity or water-absorption and firing tests. Their results were apparently successful, attesting to Cobclay composites configuration viability as ceramic clay body. Conclusively, further scholarly investigation is hoped to fill the gas of body characterization, tensile strength and manipulation into object of functional utility.