Date of Award


Document Type


Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Materials Science and Engineering


Brosnan, Denis A

Committee Member

Sanders , John P

Committee Member

Skaar , Eric C


Kinetic modeling and simulation were used to optimize the firing cycle for brick. This was done to develop a tool for the brick industry to reduce fuel consumption and emissions during firing. A kinetic model was built using shrinkage data from dilatometer measurements and mass loss data from thermogravimetry measurements in order to predict the density as a function of temperature and time. The density of brick was related to the absorption coefficient (C/B), an ASTM standard which is related to the durability of the brick. The kinetic model was used to optimize the firing curve using a rate controlled sintering (RCS) approach to control the shrinkage during firing, and the maximum shrinkage rate was found to be 0.07%/minute. The kinetic model proved to be successful in optimizing the firing curve to get a desired density. The density predicted from the kinetic model was used as an input into a finite element model, along with the thermal conductivity and specific heat, using the program ANSYS. The finite element model was used to predict the internal temperature of the brick during firing. Three different types of brick were modeled: an uncored solid (paver), a cored solid (C 216), and a highly cored or hollow brick (C 652).



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