Sanitary ware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sanitary wares face challenges in reducing weight while maintaining low water absorption and strength, as existing technologies often compromise on one or both of these properties during the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A sanitary ware composition featuring a pottery substrate with anorthite and an alkali metal component, where the alkali metal content is between 5 to 10% by weight, combined with a glaze layer, which results in a substrate with closed pores and reduced water absorption, achieving both lightness and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a highly vitreous porcelain is used as the substrate, then water absorption is reduced, but deformation during firing increases due to weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the substrate by incorporating specific amounts of alkali metal oxides (5-10% by weight) and controlling the ratio of alumina to silica. This parameter adjustment modifies the firing behavior and microstructure of the porcelain, enabling reduced deformation while maintaining low water absorption through optimized glass phase formation and crystal growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite microstructure within the porcelain substrate by combining multiple crystalline phases (mullite, quartz, anorthite) with a glass phase containing specific alkali metal oxides. This composite structure at the micro level provides both mechanical strength to resist deformation during firing and low porosity to maintain water absorption resistance.
2Strength
If the product thickness is increased to maintain strength, then flexural strength is improved, but product weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition parameters to achieve a strength-to-weight optimization. By controlling the alumina content (20-40% by weight) and adding specific alkali metal oxides, the substrate develops enhanced mechanical properties at the molecular level, allowing thinner sections to achieve the required flexural strength without increasing overall product weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates local quality variations in the substrate microstructure through controlled crystallization and glass phase distribution. The optimized microstructure provides localized strength enhancement in critical areas, allowing the overall product thickness to be reduced while maintaining sufficient flexural strength for sanitary ware applications.
3Manufacturing precision
If pottery that is less vitreous and more crystalline is used as the substrate, then deformation during firing is reduced, but water absorption increases in exposed portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the chemical composition parameters, particularly the ratio of alumina to silica (20-40:60-80 by weight) and the addition of alkali metal oxides (5-10% by weight). This precise parameter control enables the formation of a specific microstructure with optimized glass phase content and crystal distribution, achieving both low deformation during firing and low water absorption in exposed portions simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution effectively reduces the weight of sanitary wares while maintaining low water absorption and high strength, with a water absorption rate less than 2% and a closed pore rate of 15% or greater, enhancing the product's durability and transportation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the portion not applied with a glaze absorbs water so that this may cause problems such as absorption of filthy water
Implementation Method 2
the pottery substrate of the vitreous body is densified thereby reducing water absorption as much possible
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a sanitary ware compatibly satisfying both low water absorption and weight reduction. The sanitary ware has a pottery substrate of a vitreous body and a glaze layer, in which part of the substrate is exposed to outside thereof without the glaze layer; the substrate has (A) an anorthite and (B) an alkali metal component; and an amount of the alkali metal component is in the range of 5 to 10% by weight in terms of an oxide conversion (A2O) relative to the substrate. This sanitary ware has the properties of low water absorption and light weight.