Manufacturing Technology 2026, 26(1):106-116 | DOI: 10.21062/mft.2026.012

Study on Thermo-Structural Coupling Mechanism and Multi-Field Evolution Law during the Firing Process of Ceramic Slabs

Xianewei Wang ORCID...1, Wenlong Xu ORCID...1, Hailong Yu ORCID...2, Chenyang Li ORCID...1, Haikuo Zhao ORCID...1, Yihang Feng ORCID...1, Caiqi Fang ORCID...1, Heng Zhang ORCID...1, Aihua Xu ORCID...3, Wentao Xie ORCID...1, Xiulian Li ORCID...1
1 Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China
2 Marco Polo Holdings Co., Ltd., Dongguan 523000, China
3 Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology, Changzhou 213164, China

To address cracking and deformation in large-size ceramic slabs during firing induced by thermo-structural coupling, this study established an indirect thermo-structural coupling finite element model in Ansys to analyze an 820 mm×100 mm×6.32 mm slab. The evolution of temperature field, stress field, and deformation was investigated across four firing stages. Results indicate that the rapid cooling stage, with a high convective heat transfer coefficient, forms the cycle’s maximum thermal gradient, showing the most asymmetric temperature field of mid-plane high, surfaces low and a ~17°C surface-mid-plane temperature difference. The stress field follows a low-high-declining-stable trend, peaking in rapid cooling of 23 MPa maximum equivalent stress in the thickness section and 11 MPa maximum principal stress at the glaze-body interface. Thermal gradient, glaze-body CTE mismatch, and boundary constraints respectively drive stress generation, interface concentration, and asymmetric distribution. Deformation obeys length > width > thickness in rapid cooling, lengthwise deformation is 8.2 times the width. Thickness-direction drum-shaped deformation stems from glaze-body CTE mismatch. This study reveals the firing thermo-structural coupling mechanism, providing theoretical support for optimizing firing processes and glaze-body formulations, with significant engineering value for reducing cracking and improving dimensional stability.

Keywords: Ceramic slab, Thermo-structural coupling, Firing deformation, Maximum principal stress
Grants and funding:

This project has been financially supported by the the Applied Research Program of Marco Polo (Grant No. KYH25210) and the Project of Background Field Magnets (Grant No. KYH20148)

Received: October 29, 2025; Revised: March 13, 2026; Accepted: March 16, 2026; Prepublished online: March 20, 2026; Published: March 21, 2026  Show citation

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Wang X, Xu W, Yu H, Li C, Zhao H, Feng Y, et al.. Study on Thermo-Structural Coupling Mechanism and Multi-Field Evolution Law during the Firing Process of Ceramic Slabs. Manufacturing Technology. 2026;26(1):106-116. doi: 10.21062/mft.2026.012.
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