Complete the account of the material.
Clay is a hydrated aluminium ______, whose plasticity comes from a film of water between microscopic ______. Water lost during drying is ______ water, and the stage at which a body is firm enough to carve and still damp enough to join is ______-hard.
Word bank: silicate · plates · shrinkage · leather · carbonate · bone
Hints
- The second blank describes the particle shape that makes clay behave as it does.
- The last blank names the working stage for joining.
Show the answer
Clay is a hydrated aluminium silicate, whose plasticity comes from a film of water between microscopic plates. Water lost during drying is shrinkage water, and the stage at which a body is firm enough to carve and still damp enough to join is leather-hard.
The plate structure in the second blank explains everything else in the lesson. Plates sliding on a water film give plasticity; plates closing up as that water leaves give shrinkage; and the two are the same fact seen at two moments.
Practise Clay: What It Is and Why It Shrinks
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More questions on Clay: What It Is and Why It Shrinks
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