In this study focused on the production, characterization and bending strength-porosity relationship of vermiculite-added floor tiles, porcelain and sanitary ware bodies. The materials used in this study are calcined vermiculite, quartz, clay, kaolin, feldspar and porcelain powder as ceramic raw materials. Calcined vermiculite was incorporated into the ceramic bodies at concentrations of 0.10% and 20% by weight, following a heat treatment at 1050°C for 1 hour. The mixtures underwent homogenization in alumina ball mills operating at 60 rpm for 24 hours and were subsequently shaped via uniaxial dry pressing at 100 MPa. The resulting pressed samples were then subjected to sintering at temperatures ranging from 1050 to 1150°C for 1 hour. Evaluation of the fabricated samples included analysis of microstructure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), phase analysis via X-ray diffraction (XRD), and assessment of mechanical properties through 3-point bending tests. Additionally, physical properties such as percentage shrinkage, water absorption, porosity, and density were measured. The results demonstrated that higher concentrations of calcined vermiculite resulted in improvements in the properties of the ceramic bodies. After the characterization results, the bending strength-porosity relationship was examined. Correlation coefficient, t-test and p values were calculated. There is a strong negative correlation with the correlation coefficient at -0.898, -0.875 and -0.907 for floor tiles, porcelain and sanitary ware respectively.

Keywords: Floor tile, Porcelain, Sanitary ware, Vermiculite, Bending strength, Porosity, Correlation.