Ceramic Tile Surfaces in Acid Environment: Study on the Topographic, Microstructural and Mechanical Changes

Glazed ceramic tiles are characterized by a good chemical durability excepting in highly alkaline and acid environment. A continual use of cleaning agents with a basic or acid pH on ceramic flooring could give rise to a lowering of mechanical performances due to corrosion of crystalline phases more than the amorphous phase. In the present work, several glazed tile surfaces characterized by different microstructures (amorphous and partially crystallized) were considered. In order to better understand the mechanism responsible of the surface tiles ageing, the working surfaces, before and after chemical etching, were analysed from topografic, microstructural and mechanical point of view, Results showed that it is possible to correlate microstructural differences of ceramic surfaces before and after a chemical etching, with their physical-mechanical characteristics.