Numerical simulation of drying ceramic using finite element and machine vision

Shrinkage and cracking occurs during drying of green products such as clay brick and ceramic tiles. Modeling and accurate simulation of shrinkage phenomenon and the stresses induced as a result of drying shrinkage may be used to predict occurrence of defects such as deformation and cracking. The objective of the current research is to study the drying process of some ceramic material with known chemical composition and to analyze the process using Finite Element Analysis method. Deformation values were experimentally measured using machine vision and image processing techniques. Strain vectors were determined based on which a comparison could be performed between analytical and experimental models. The drying model developed was verified by experiments. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.