In general, the brick ceramic industry uses clayey soils from sedimentation basin and/or from weathered rock as raw material. Due to their nature, these soils, most of the time, are extremely heterogeneous at their natural state. This heterogeneity is not only related to their mineralogical composition but also related to their grading and the degree of mineral weathering. Therefore, an important question arises: how to predict a desirable specific behavior of these materials with such a variable characteristic ? It is very well known that ceramic workers apply an empirical procedure, combining different materials with known properties to manufacture these products. Thus, this paper presents a method to help in overcome this problem by applying a numerical routine which is used to predict specific final properties of different soil admixtures. It is also a helpful tool to determine the ideal admixture proportion that will show some required property, starting from the previously known behavior of the original components and some basic admixtures. The obtained results by carrying out laboratory tests in small ceramic bricks are compared to those predicted ones in order to verify the model suitability. This study is performed in a laboratory scale but it can be easily adapted to the industrial production process, enhancing the economy and preserving the environment from the predatory exploration of borrow areas.
mixtures; Simplex lattice; clay
