Burnt Bricks and Tiles

Abstract

The ceramic industry is one of the oldest industrial exploitation fields of mankind. Pottery, bricks and tiles have always been in demand. Artisan's kilns dug into the ground, were the primitive way of burning the products. More than 130 years ago, a further step into industrialization was taken by the design of the Hofmann Kiln, the first multifuel kiln to be operated in an industrial way. It is the way that up to this day smaller brick factories are operated. Fuel consumption is rather high, and great operational skill is required since the firing time exactly determines the burning degree. Still Hofmann Kilns operate with a considerable rate of rejects.