Analysis of the Effect of Marine Salinity in Durability of Red Ceramics Calcinated in Different Temperature

In the Brazilian coast, the ceramic materials are affected by saline exposures, which cause losses of properties. This work evaluated the alteration that the materials undergo when exposed to the marine environment. Prismatic specimens were molded by the extrusion process and then calcined at different temperatures. After burning, the chemical attack was carried out by immersion cycles using synthetic sea water and the effects on the mechanical resistance and the water absorption were verified. In the absorption of water, the marine salinity interfered in a superficial way. In the mechanical resistance, salinity interfered in a significant way, but not enough to cause problems as far as the normative limits. Finally, it was verified that the crystalline phases identified at all the burning temperatures studied were the same for the intact samples and for the immersion cycles, except for halite (NaCl), from synthetic sea water.