Gloss Measuring Instrument | Factors Affect Ceramic Gloss

1. What is ceramic gloss?

Gloss is the smoothness level of the ceramic surface. The gloss generally depends on the ability of the ceramic surface to reflect light. When the ceramic surface is sufficiently flat and smooth, the specular reflection of light is strong, so the measured glossiness is higher. On the contrary, the surface is rough, the specular reflection produced by the light on the ceramic surface is less and the measured gloss is low. Of course, smoothness and gloss are not the same here, they are interrelated.

In simple terms, the gloss of ceramics we are talking about is the ability to reflect light. A beam of light illuminates the ceramic surface. The “brighter” we observe at the specular reflection angle, the stronger the gloss. Of course, the difference in the incident light angle and the angle of reflection will lead to differences in our judgment of glossiness.

2. Influencing factors and detection of ceramic gloss

The gloss of ceramics is mainly affected by the surface glaze and roughness. The glaze layer of ceramic products is generally a glass with a thickness of 0.1mm, which has a certain color and is mixed with a few crystals and pores. The glossiness of the glaze layer will cause a difference in the glossiness of the ceramic surface.

(1) Ceramic formula

In ceramic production, the glaze formula is the basis to ensure product quality. The role of each raw material in the formula is also important. The gloss of ceramics produced by different glaze formulas is generally different. The naughty glossiness is related to the smoothness and refractive index of the oil layer surface. It depends on the specular reflection of light on the glaze. It is one of the important apparent quality indicators of porcelain products.

(2) Glaze making process

Select the clay raw materials for glaze to remove impurities and organic matter. Then elutriate the clay containing more free quartz and mica in advance to improve the purity. For those raw materials in the glaze that have a large change in heating volume, it is better to calcinate them separately and then mix them, that is, to introduce them into the glaze in the form of clinker to stabilize the crystal form and volume. Properly increase the fineness of the glaze. When frit glaze is used, all the quartz in the glaze is added to the frit to form a homogeneous glass body.

(3) Glazing temperature

The apparent defects that affect the gloss of the glaze are pinholes, wave patterns, orange glaze and glaze. In order to improve the quality of glazed porcelain, consideration should be given to making the glaze have a higher refractive index and a higher melting temperature when formulating the glaze, because this is more conducive to the elimination of decomposition gas during firing and reduce the glaze needles. 

(4) Ceramic gloss detection

It is recommended to use Linshang LS192 gloss measuring instrument to measure the gloss of ceramics. The measurement data of this glass measuring instrument is very accurate, comparable to the BYK gloss measuring instrument in the United States. The glass measuring instrument accuracy is very high in line with the national first-class standards. It can ensure to pass the inspection of the Chinese Metrology Institute.