Orthoclase KAlSi3O8
| Description/ Specification of Potassium Feldspar Powder 200-325 Mesh | ||||||||||||
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Used in glassmaking. It helps lower the melting point of quartz,
which is used to make glass. This makes glass less visous and easier/cheaper
to produce.
Feldspar is a leading ingredient in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. Specifically, feldspar and other minerals are used in glazing pottery where they are applied as a powder or slurry and then melted onto the pot as a glass when fired in a kiln. Ground feldspar is also, apparently, the leading ingredient of the Bon Ami line of household cleaners.
Feldspar is used in the ceramic and glass industry as a flux. A flux is a
material which brings the melting temperature of another material down. It?s
useful, therefore, because then glass can be worked with at lower temperatures,
which makes it easier and safer to produce and shape. Feldspar is also used in
soap, fertilizer, and as a filler in paper.
Feldspars lower the melting point of quartz helping to control the viscosity of glass. It also lowers glass’ melting point, lowering production costs as well. Feldspars are also used in ceramics to mix with the clay and make the final piece stronger and better. Feldspars are used as fillers in things like paint, rubber, and plastics and find their places is many other household items such as tableware, flooring, and giftware. Other industrial uses include latex foam, glaze, mild abrasives, welding electrodes, and road aggregates, among others.
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase): When it is combined with kaolin and quartz it is used to manufacture porcelain, sometimes used for high-tension electrical insulators and dental products. If finely ground it is used as a scouring powder.
Feldspar is used in the production of ceramics and glass and is used in making
bonding materials such as cements. The porcelain in our toilets is a good
example of hot feldspar action!
Feldspar is used primarily to strengthen ceramic products. Because it does not have a well-defined melting point, it is stable enough to be used with the high temperatures needed for cementing the melted clays and quartz to make the ceramics. Feldspar is also used as filler for items such as rubber, plastics and paint, again because of its chemical stability.
Feldspar: A rock-forming mineral; industrially important in glass and
ceramic industries; patter and enamelware; soaps; bond for abrasive wheels;
cements and u; insulating compositions; fertilizer; tarred roofing materials;
and as a sizing, or filler, in textiles and paper.
Feldspar has a host of different industrial applications. For example, it is used to make dinnerware and bathroom and building tiles. It's used as a flux (a material that lowers the melting temperature of another material) in ceramics and glass production. It is also important in making soaps, abrasives, bond for abrasive wheels, cements, and concretes, insulating compositions, fertilizer, poultry grit, tarred roofing materials, and as a filler in textiles and paper.
Source: www.mii.org/commonminerals.html
Feldspar is used in the glass and ceramic industries, as well as in cements, concretes and in textiles and paper.
Feldspar: Feldspar is an important ingredient when manufacturing glass. It
reduces the melting point of quartz and aids in controlling viscosity. Feldspar
is also an important ingredient in the manufacture of ceramics. Feldspars
improve strength, toughness, and durability. Feldspars are also used in paint,
mild abrasives, urethane, steel production, latex foam, and road aggregate.
One of the many uses of Feldspar is in the production of glass and ceramics.
It is used as a flux to lower the melting temperature of, in some cases,
glass.
Feldspar is used in soaps, bonding materials, cements, roofing materials and
fertilizer.
Feldspar - pottery, soaps, enamelware, abrasives, bonds for abrasive wheels,
cements and concretes, insulating compositions, fertilizer, poultry grit,
tarred roofing materials, and sizers in paper and textiles. (I think it is
quite remarkable the different uses of this mineral from pottery to soap to tar
to fertlizer. It's pretty cool
- See more at: http://www.minerals.net/mineral/orthoclase.aspx#sthash.U4TNBAZ0.dpuf
| Chemical Formula | KAlSi3O8 | ||||||||||||
| Composition | Potassium aluminum silicate | ||||||||||||
| Color | White, yellow, colorless, pink, orange, light blue, light green, brown, gray | ||||||||||||
| Streak | White | ||||||||||||
| Hardness | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Crystal System | Monoclinic | ||||||||||||
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| Crystal Forms and Aggregates | Occurs in well shaped prismatic and tabular crystals, which are sometimes striated. Crystals often form penetration twins and repeated twins, in the form of Carlsbad twins, Baveno twins, and Manbach twins. Also occurs massive, grainy, and as rounded, waterworn stones. Click here for more detailed information on the crystal structure of the Feldspars. | ||||||||||||
| Transparency | Transparent to opaque | ||||||||||||
| Specific Gravity | 2.6 | ||||||||||||
| Luster | Vitreous to pearly | ||||||||||||
| Cleavage | 2,1 - basal ; 2,1 - prismatic ; 3,1 - pinacoidal. The cleavage angle is about 90º. | ||||||||||||
| Fracture | Conchoidal to uneven | ||||||||||||
| Tenacity | Brittle | ||||||||||||
| In Group | Silicates; Tectosilicates; Feldspar Group | ||||||||||||
| Striking Features | Crystal habits, cleavage, and hardness | ||||||||||||
| Environment | A major constituent of low-temperature metamorphic rocks. Also in igneous environments such as pegmatites, as well as sedimentary conglomerates. | ||||||||||||
| Rock Type | Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic | ||||||||||||
| Popularity (1-4) | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Prevalence (1-3) | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Demand (1-3) | 2 |
- See more at: http://www.minerals.net/mineral/orthoclase.aspx#sthash.U4TNBAZ0.dpuf
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