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mSv/year: regulations formed to reduce the risk of ionised radiation
fix precise limits of doses that are expressed in milliSv/year
(or mSv/year). Italian legislation only addresses risks
to exposure to radon found in the workplace (D. Lgs
230/95), while in the home reference is made to the
recommendations of the European Union. Nevertheless
all of the regulations fix ‘recommended values’,
values of radon concentration above which it is necessary
to take measures to reduce these values. A situation
is considered acceptable when it is below the ‘recommended
values.’ (Source: www.italprotezione.it/leggi.htm) |
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quartziferous sand: raw material widely used in the
ceramics industry and which carries out a structural
function, limiting dimensional variations in the firing
due to its presence in the clay mixture. These sands,
whose value is assigned on the basis of purity and fineness,
are found on all five continents and are present in
all the European countries. |
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single firing: process in which the glaze and
clay are fired at the same time. Prior to the development
of s.f. in the 80s, the method generally used in Italy
was double firing. New technology has led to the creation
of a much thinner product, reducing production and transportation
costs. The tile in s.f. is also more resistant and can
be used for commercial pavements subjected to a high
intensity of traffic. |
sustainability: among the definitions of s., that given in the Brundtland
Report (mentioned often within this site) has generated
various new variations. For example, according to the
editor of Econews Guy Dauncey, “Sustainability
is a condition of existence that allows the present
generation (of the human and other species) to enjoy
social well-being, a viable economy and a healthy environment,
(…) without compromising the capacity of future
generations (human and not) to benefit from these in
equal measure.” For a more in-depth understanding
of this concept see the paragraphs: S_consumption, S_building,
S_cities and ecoprocurement within the macro-concept
Sustainability is now. |
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thermal bridge: non-isolating element that provokes
a rapid dispersion of heat from one material to another.
A t.b. occurs as the result of discontinuity, joints
or connections, and is the cause of inefficiency, energy
waste and condensation phenomena resulting from sudden
local variations in temperature. |
Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM): integration of environmental objectives within a business’s essential practices through a management system where
quality is defined on the basis of the identification
of the causes of environmental problems and solutions
for their resolution. An on-going revision of these
practices leads to a continuous improvement of products
and processes. According to the ‘TQEM Primer’
of GEMI, there are four key elements in TQEM:
Identification of the
client: in TQEM environmental quality is established
through the preferences
of the client. Purchasers, local communities, ecology
groups and the overall
public are considered ‘external clients’
while office and factory workers represent
the ‘internal clients’ of a business.
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Continuous improvement:
management and employees of a company need to work systematically
for the improvement of environmental performance. The
involvement of everyone
is fundamental to the successful application of TQEM.
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Act correctly from the
very beginning: the elimination of environmental risks
(through prevention)
is a vital element of TQEM. As such employees are called
on to identify and
eliminate all possible environmental problems.
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Systemic approach: it
is important to conceive the various components of TQEM
integrally in order
to guarantee the correct functioning and mutual support
necessary to achieve
the desired objectives.
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vernacular architecture: term for the form of architectural
production documented in the historical-constructive
tradition typical of a specific location, also defined
by the term ‘spontaneous architecture’ (as
opposed to authorial architecture), and which surprises
for the happy synthesis of climate-form-material. It
is poor but knowledgeable building form, made with material
found in the surrounding environment. Thanks to a major
attention to environmental and social problematics v.
a. has arrived in recent years to the status of history
after having been relegated to the lesser place of minor
architecture or confined to the disciplinary limits
of anthropologic culture. The evolution and slow growth
that antique societies underwent allowed them to integrate
their practice into a lengthy and well-considered process
of reproduction, always adapted to natural constrictions.
Edouard Goldsmith (founder of The Ecologist and one
of the driving forces of the ecology movement on the
international level) affirms: “It is because vernacular
society has adapted its mode of life to the surrounding
environment that has made it durable, and because industrial
society on the contrary has forced the environment to
adapt to its mode of life that places its survival into
question.” |
vernacular building: see vernacular
architecture |
vitrification: progressive partial fusion of a ceramic mixture, clay,
feldspar, enamel etc. provoked by the increase in temperature
during the firing process. Through this process the
quantity of the vitreous phase increases and the apparent
porosity of the material decreases. A ceramic body is
completely vitrified if the glass fills the pores between
the grains completely, cementing them shut. The most
important variables in the vitrification process are
the initial size distribution of the particles, the
viscosity of the vitreous phase and, to a lesser degree,
surface tension. The term v. is sometimes substituted
with ‘gresification’, which however indicates
a lesser degree of vitrification, such as that obtained
with stoneware as compared to porcelain. |
vitrified stoneware: tile obtained by pressing
with very low total porosity, produced from white-body
that may also be uniformly- or multi-coloured through
a mixture of dustings or granules of different sizes
and colours. The composition of the mixture is very similar
to white-body stoneware but the raw materials are chosen
in such a way as to maintain a minimum percentage of
iron oxide. The mixture is pressed with specific loads
50% greater than those of vitrified white-body enamel.
The firing is conducted with a cycle of less than one
hour and a temperature of around 1,200° C. The tile
can also be polished, either before or after installation,
in order to highlight its aesthetic qualities. It is
resistant to frost, acids and bases and has an elevated
mechanical resistance. |
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zirconium silicate: derived from zirconium sand
utilised by the ceramic industry to give opacity and
whiteness to the glazing, and whiteness to vitrified
stoneware or to the ceramic mass. |
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Disclaimer
| For more
information, please contact: Ceramic
Tiles of Italy by Assopiastrelle Association
of Italian Ceramic Tile and Refractories Manufacturers
Viale Monte Santo, 40 - 41049 Sassuolo (MO) - Italy
ph. +39 536 818111 - fax +39 536 807935
Ceramic Tiles of Italy,
promoted by Assopiastrelle is a registered trademark
of Edi.Cer S.p.a., the organizer of CERSAIE, the world's
largest International Exhibition of Ceramics for the Building Industry
and Bathroom Furnishings, held every year in Bologna, Italy. www.cersaie.it.
S_TILES
The S_tiles website is promoted by Assopiastrelle,
the Association of Italian Ceramic Tile and Refractories Manufacturers,
and is produced by Edi.Cer SpA with the contribution
of the Italian Ministry of Productive Activities, Foreign Trade Departement.
All material published on this site is copyright Edi.Cer SpA. No part
of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means (without
permission in writing from EdiCer SpA). The
S_tiles website is not responsible for the content of external
Internet sites.
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