Enhancement of mechanical properties of Singgora roof tiles by using flux

Singgora roof tiles are rarely known nowadays because it is one of the heritage tiles. These tiles are low in mechanical properties and also more other type of roof tiles are made that has more advantage on mechanical rather than the Singgora tiles. The mechanical properties of the Singgora are one of the problem that need to be care of in this research. The enhancement of the mechanical properties of the Singgora roof tiles are one of the best solution to preserve this heritage. The clay are collected from the paddy field in Bachok which is it have high composition in kaolinite and most suitable clay type for making Singgora tiles. The flux added to the clay is the feldspar and sodium chloride (NaCl). According to the result obtain it shown that feldspar have higher flexural strength and impact energy than the sodium chloride. It is proven by using the charpy impact test and the three point bending test. The composition of the raw material which is clay that obtain from the Bachok also have been characterize using the x-ray diffraction (XRD) method. This research also shown the crack propagation of the broken tiles by using the scanning electron microscope (SEM).