The St. Louis Section of The American Ceramic Society was founded in 1965.

Officers

Membership

Dues of $5 per year can be paid on your annual ACerS membership renewal form, or mailed directly to the section treasurer:

Patty Smith
Missouri University of Science and Technology
303 Materials Research Center
Rolla, MO 65401

Make sure to include your complete mailing address and Tel/Fax numbers and email address.

Meetings & Events

St. Louis Section/RCD 48th Annual Symposium
March 28-29, 2012, St. Louis, MO, USA

The St. Louis Section and the Refractory Ceramics Division of The American Ceramic Society will sponsor the 48th Annual Symposium on the theme “Refractories for Non-Ferrous Applications” on March 28-29, 2012. The meeting will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel. Co-program chairs are Ben Markel of Resco Products and Rick Solak of Wahl Refractories.

Register now for the meeting.  View complete program.

Program Schedule:

March 27th

5:00 P.M.  Sign up for the Kickoff Event!

March 28th

7:30 A.M. Registration and Coffee

Morning Technical Sessions
8:15 Welcome and Introductions: 

St. Louis Section Chairman, Mary Reidmeyer, Missouri S&T;

Refractory Ceramics Division Chair, Jason Canon, The Christy Refractories Company

Co-Program Coordinators Ben Markel, Resco Products; and Rick Solak, Wahl Refractories

8:30 Silicon Carbide - Process and Properties
Marcus Vinicius M. Magliano - Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials, Brazil

9:00 Evaluation of a 99+% Alumina Refractory taken from Service in a Distribution Channel in a Container Glass Furnace

Dave Lankard - Lankard Materials Laboratory

9:30 Mechanism of Corrosion Resistance to Carbon Monoxide of Analusite
Xiaoyong Xiong - Imerys-Damrec

10:00 Coffee Break

10:30 The Crack Growth Resistance of Refractories
Richard C. Bradt - The University of Alabama

11:30 Questions and Discussion

11:45-1:00 Luncheon Banquet

1:00-1:30 Presentation of the T.J. Planje St. Louis Refractories Award to Rick Volk - UNI-REF, Inc.

Afternoon Technical Sessions

1:30 Trends in Refractory Linings of O2-Enriched Sulfur Recovery Unit
Syed Rahman - Conoco Philips

2:00 Novel Spinel-Family Refractories for High-Temperature, High-Alkaline Environments
James Hemrick - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

2:30 Coffee Break

3:00 Development of New Procedures for Combined Corrosion-Erosion Testing on Refractories for Aluminum Furnaces
Peter Quirmbach - Deutsches Institut für Feuerfest und Keramik GmbH (DIFK)

3:30 Effect of Cement Content on the Properties of Self-Flowing Refractory Castables with Nano-Zirconia
Cem Cogtas - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Materials Engineering Department 

4:00 ASTM C08 Celebrates 200th Meeting and Award Presentation
Len Krietz - Plibrico

4:30 RCD Annual Members Meeting

4:45 Questions & Discussion, followed by Closing Remarks 
 

5:00-7:00 Exposition and Cocktail Hour

Current list of tabletop participants:

Almatis
Aluchem
American Ceramic Society

BassTech International
Calucem, Inc.
CE Minerals
Christy Minerals
Cilas Particle-Size
Fibercon International
Great Lakes Minerals
Kerneos
Kyanite Mining
LAEIS GmbH
Lancaster Products

Matrix Enterprises
Missouri S&T
Orton Ceramic Foundation
Possehl Erzkontor N.A.
Refractories WORLDFORUM
Refractory Minerals
Rio Tinto Alcan

Shanxi Fangxing Minerals Co., Ltd. – China

Washington Mills

7:00 Dinner

March 29th (2nd Day)

6:30 A.M. Refractory Ceramics Division (RCD) Executive Committee Breakfast Meeting

Morning Technical Sessions
7:45 Welcome and Introductions

8:00 Microsilica-Gel Bonded Castables for Rapid Heatup
Bjorn Myhre - Elkem Materials

8:30 Advantages of Calcium Hexaluminate in a Corrosive Environment
Dale Zacherl - Almatis

9:00 Coffee Break

9:30 Phase Diagram Short Course by Jeff Smith - Missouri S&T
For us to have sufficient course materials, please sign-up on registration form (see link below)

Getting the Diagrams to Work For You: Basic Applications of Ternary Phase Equilibria

This very short course will provide a review of the fundamentals of ternary phase diagrams and then highlight ways that the diagrams can be used to address refractory production and application. Topics will include liquid phase sintering aids, reactions and phase stability, refractoriness, refractory dissolution in liquid slags and glasses, among others. This review is intended to be “hands on” where you will be provided diagrams so you can follow along in the mining of the useful information contained within these diagrams. Some basic drafting tools will be provided; a calculator may be useful.

11:45 Questions & Discussion

12:00 St. Louis Section Business Meeting & Lunch

General Information:

The Tabletop Expo format is the same as past years with each vendor having a 6-foot table to display products and literature. The charge is $300, which will be used to cover the cost of the Expo Hall and provide an open two hour bar during the “Meet and Greet” for the attendees prior to dinner on Wednesday evening. If you are interested in participating in the Tabletop Expo, contact Patty Smith at (573) 341-6265, psmith@mst.edu; or Mary Reidmeyer at (573) 341-7519, maryrr@mst.edu.

A meeting of the ASTM International C-8 Committee on Refractories will be held on March 27th, before this joint St. Louis Section/RCD conference. Contact Kate McClung at (610) 832-9717 for more information on this meeting.

The 2012 Theodore J. Planje Refractories Award will be presented to Rick Volk, UNI-REF, Inc. on March 28th at 1:00pm.

Register now for the meeting.  View complete program.

A block of rooms has been set aside for the evenings of March 26-29, 2012 at the Hilton (314) 426-5500. The rate is $99.00 for a single or double. To receive the $99 rate, mention the St. Louis Section of The American Ceramic Society when making your reservation. All reservations must be received on or before March 10, 2012.

For further information contact Patty Smith at tel: (573) 341-6265, Fax: (573) 341-2071 or email: psmith@mst.edu.

St. Louis Section/RCD 49th Annual Symposium

March 27-28, 2013, St. Louis, MO, USA

Theme: Refractory Challenges in the Chemical and Petro-Chemical Industries

All ACerS Meetings

Awards

THE REFRACTORIES INSTITUTE 2011 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The member companies of The Refractories Institute (TRI) have established an academic scholarship program for the 2011-2012 academic year. The scholarships will support qualified students enrolled in degree programs who have exhibited an interest in refractory manufacturing through course work or other activities, and who might be considering a career in the refractory industry. Additional details can be found on the TRI website.

The Theodore J. Planje — St. Louis Refractories Award

2012 Winner:  Rick Volk, UNI-REF, Inc.

2011 Winner: Rob Crolius - The Refractories Institute  

2010 Winner: James L. Hill, Retired - ANH Refractories

2009 Winner: James W. Stendera, Vesuvius USA

Nomination deadline for 2012 Award: December 1, 2011

In December 1967, the St. Louis Section of The American Ceramic Society announced the establishment of as “The St. Louis Refractories Award.” This has been provided in Article XII of the by-laws of the St. Louis Section “for the purpose of recognizing and honoring distinguished achievement in the refractories field.”

In March 1982, the St. Louis Section voted to amend Article XII of the by-laws. The award was renamed “The Theodore J. Planje — St. Louis Refractories Award” in honor of his many contributions.

Nominations received after December 1, 2010 shall be held for the following year. To request a nomination form please contact Patty Smith at P: (573) 341-6265, F: (573) 341-6151.

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