The nature, amount and composition of the introduced additives are shown to affect the process of structure formation in porcelain in several stages. The additives are classified and the mechanism of their action is described.It is known that the introduction of various additives in the composition of the porcelain mixture is an efficient means of acting on the structure and hence on the properties of porcelain.In accordance with the mechanism of action of the additives on the process of structure formation in porcelain, the additives are divided into four classes and then differentiated into groups. The first class comprises additives that regulate the coagualation-thixotropic structure of the porcelain suspension and its transition to a condensation structure (electrolytes, surface-active substances, etc.). The second class consists of additives that intensify the sintering process, i.e., accelerate the transformation from a condensation structure to a crystallization and crystallization-pseudocoagulation structure. The third class comprises additives that intensify the process of crystallization of new formations. The fourth class comprises additives virtually insoluble in the molten glass phase which play the role of a source for creating the crystalline phase and improving the quality of the porcelain, including its light-scattering action (zircon, corundum and the like). As a rule, the latter possess a higher refractive index than mullite, quartz and the glass phase, which increases the light scattering capacity ofthe roasted material.Depending on the composition, all of the additives are classified as individual and complex. Complex additives are treated as a combination ofindividual additives.One and the same additive can be placed in different classes in accordance with its effect on the mechanism of interaction of the initial components in different periods of structure formation. However, a study of its action on the stages of structure formation makes it possible to determine 1 State Academy of ManagemenI, Moscow, Russia;PlekhanovRussianAcademyfor Economy, Moscow, Russia.
49the predominance of this or that mechanism and choose the most effective composition. The chemical reactions, physicochemical processes, and structural transformations that occur in a polydisperse mixture (porcelain batch) in the conditions of its preparation and heat treatment act integrally on the phase composition of the mixture and on the properties of the material. In this connection, we considered it expedient to analyze the dependences in the system "composition -structure -property" with the aim of determining the possible regions of existence of structures and describing the processes and mechanisms of the action of mineralizing additives.The first period consists in the formation of a coagulation-thixotropic structure (CTS) of the porcelain mixture and the transition to a condensation structure. The coagulation structure of a plastic ceramic mixture plays the role of a matrix that serves as the basis for the subsequent ty...