Current Status Development of the Building Materials Industry
The building materials industry is an important pillar industry of the national economy. In recent years, with the continuous changes in the domestic & foreign economic situation and the acceleration of scientific & technological innovation, the building materials industry has shown some new trends and characteristics in its development.
The market scale continues to expand. Various new building materials such as energy-saving and environmentally friendly materials, green building materials, etc. continue to emerge, injecting new impetus into the growth of the industry.
Chinese companies have made continuous breakthroughs in product research and development, production processes, energy conservation and emission reduction, improving the quality and performance of their products.
Among them, soft porcelain, a representative green building material, is developing rapidly. In this article, we will give you a detailed introduction of this material.
What is Soft Porcelain?
Soft porcelain is not real porcelain, nor is it a tile. Soft porcelain is a new type of thin and light finishing material made from inorganic materials to transform soil as raw materials, combined with high molecular polymers, and processed by baking & irradiation. Because the appearance and use functions of soft porcelain are very similar to tiles, it is called soft porcelain.
What is the Difference between Soft Porcelain and Ceramic Tile?
Compared with ceramic tiles, soft porcelain have more advantages and uses. Unlike traditional ceramic tiles, they are recyclable tiles that can be turned back into soil after processing, making them more energy-saving and environmentally friendly than ordinary ceramic tiles. Due to their craftsmanship and composition, soft porcelain can save a lot of losses, now have been developed into decorative materials such as imitation wood and imitation stone.
Rich Texture: Soft porcelain has rich textures and colors, which can simulate the texture of natural stone, wood, etc., making the building more natural and beautiful.
Easy Construction: Soft porcelain adopts adhesive construction, without the use of keels, which reduces the difficulty and cost of construction. At the same time, the soft porcelain material is light and thin, which reduces the weight of the building and improves the safety of the building.
Strong Adaptability: Soft porcelain is suitable for irregular and curved designs, providing more possibilities for modern architectural design.
Easy Maintenance: Soft porcelain is easy to clean and maintain. If it is damaged during use, it can be easily replaced or repaired, reducing the cost of later maintenance.
High Safety Performance: The flexibility of soft porcelain makes it not easy to break when impacted, which improves the safety of use.
What is the Characteristics of Soft Porcelain?
Light and Thin
2-4mm thick/piece, saves space, saves cement, and is easy to transport.
Soft porcelain is a new type of material, which has more features than ceramic tiles. The biggest feature of soft porcelain is that it is very light and thin. The thickness of each piece of soft porcelain is only 2-4mm, which is more convenient for construction workers to operate and saves more auxiliary materials such as cement. At the same time, because of its light texture, it is also very convenient to transport, and more soft porcelain can be placed in the same volume area.
Anti-fouling Self-cleaning
Special nano glaze, net load self-cleaning technology. There are 4 and 3 levels of anti-fouling ability respectively.
The anti-fouling performance of the exterior wall soft porcelain facing tiles is tested as level 4 according to GB/T 3810.14-2006 “Test Methods for Ceramic Tiles”, which is equivalent to the anti-fouling ability of polished tiles.
A-level Fireproof
Soft porcelain is a national A-level fireproof flexible material. The exterior wall soft porcelain facing tile contains a large amount of clay, a good flame retardant, which makes the fireproof level of the exterior wall soft porcelain facing tile reach B-level (GB 8624-2006, flame retardant level).
Soft, Earthquake-resistant and Crack-proof
Soft texture, good ductility, earthquake-resistant and crack-proof.
Freeze-thaw Resistance
Freeze-thaw tests reached 100 times (equivalent to 100 years), and the surface was not powdered, cracked or peeled.
In the natural environment, the exterior wall insulation system is subjected to cold & hot cycles, sunlight exposure, wind & rain, acid and alkali erosion, etc. Therefore, weather resistance, aging resistance, and freeze-thaw resistance are very important indicators of the insulation system, and higher durability requirements are also put forward for the finishing layer. The main component of the exterior wall soft porcelain facing tile: soil has good aging resistance & weather resistance, and the formulated high molecular polymer also has good weather resistance. A small amount of antifreeze agent is added as needed to make the exterior wall soft porcelain facing tile obtain better weather resistance and freeze-thaw resistance. After testing, it was found that the exterior wall soft porcelain facing tiles had no cracks or powdering after 2000 hours of artificial climate aging and artificial radiation exposure experiments; after 100 repeated freeze-thaw cycles in the range of -30℃ to above 10℃, there was no cracking, peeling, discoloration, etc.; in addition, after being immersed in 3% hydrochloric acid or 30g/L potassium hydroxide for 800 hours, there was no bubbling or falling off.
Durable Acid and Alkali Resistance
Aging resistance of more than 3500h, no deterioration in 50 years.
Breathable
Both breathable and fireproof, allowing the building to breathe freely. More ecological, safer, and healthier to live in.
The strength of the building’s waterproof function has a great impact on the building’s insulation and energy-saving effects, and even affects the length of the building’s life. When the exterior wall insulation system seeps or leaks, the water reduces the insulation performance or even completely loses it. The exterior wall soft porcelain facing tile is a material with a network chain structure that is polymerized by water-soluble polymer emulsion and modified clay. By adjusting the degree of molecular cross-linking through temperature control, the optimal range of porosity and pore size can be obtained to achieve a comprehensive balance of “water tightness-water absorption-air permeability”. In addition, its water absorption can also be adjusted by changing the hydrophilicity of the molecule. According to the test data, the water absorption rate of the exterior wall soft porcelain facing tile is about 2%. The impermeability experiment shows that it remains leak-free for 30 minutes under a pressure of 0.3MPa. The water absorption and air permeability were tested with reference to the method in JG149-2003. The water absorption after immersion in water for 24 hours was 402 g/m2, and the water vapor flow density was 0.95g/(m2.h). The water-repellent and air-permeable properties fully meet the requirements for external wall insulation materials.
Recyclable
Completely renewable, new energy production, no three wastes discharged.
Cost Saving
Renovation of interior and exterior walls, no need to knock down the old base surface, convenient construction, no garbage output, short construction period and low cost.
Application Fields of Soft Porcelain
Due to its unique characteristics, soft porcelain is widely used in architectural decoration, indoor and outdoor walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture finishes. It can be used in a variety of places such as residences, commercial spaces, and public facilities, providing designers with more creative space.
Architectural Decoration: Soft porcelain can be used on the exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings and other parts of buildings to provide a variety of decorative effects. Its rich colors & textures can enhance the overall beauty of the building and make it more distinctive.
Garden Landscape: Soft porcelain is widely used in garden landscape design, such as wall decoration in public places such as parks, squares, streets, etc. Its unique texture and color can add a touch of color to the urban environment and enhance the quality of the city.
Indoor Decoration: The environmental protection and fire resistance of soft porcelain give it a unique advantage in the field of indoor decoration. It can be used to decorate walls, ceilings and other parts of indoor spaces such as homes, offices and shopping malls, providing people with a comfortable, safe & beautiful living and working environment.
In short, as a revolutionary new building material, soft porcelain has shown broad application prospects in the fields of architectural decoration, garden landscape, interior decoration, etc. with its characteristics and advantages such as environmental protection, flexibility, fire resistance, and weather resistance. With the continuous advancement of science, technology and people’s pursuit of a better life, soft porcelain will surely inject new vitality into the development of the construction industry and add more beautiful elements to our living environment.
