The choice of starting material for refractory ceramics can greatly affect the product’s final properties. Researchers from Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China investigated the effects of different corundum aggregates on Al2O3-SiC-C bricks.
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ACerS Greater Missouri Section and Refractory Ceramics Division held the 59th Annual Symposium on Refractories in St. Louis, Mo., March 26–28, 2024. Almost 240 members of the refractory ceramics community attended the meeting, which focused on unleashing refractory potential through root cause analysis.
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In August 2023, researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil conducted preliminary tests on the potential of metakaolin-derived geopolymer binders to replace calcium aluminate cement binders in high-alumina refractory castables. A new follow-up study confirms this potential.
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Unleashing ceramic potential through root cause analysis, plus more inside March 2024 ACerS Bulletin
The March 2024 issue of the ACerS Bulletin—featuring methods and procedures to determine the root cause of material failures and behavior—is now available online. Plus—Zachariasen and the Manhattan Project.
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Geopolymers are emerging as a promising alternative to cement binders in refractories. In a recent study, researchers in Brazil identified a new geopolymer composition that could serve as a binder in high-temperature alumina castables.
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There are many hidden stories of the people who worked on the Manhattan Project, which resulted in the world’s first atomic bombs. In 1990, the late ACerS Fellows Osgood J. Whittemore and Louis R. McCreight published an article uncovering some of this history by describing research conducted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop refractory crucibles for nuclear metals processing.
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Magnesia carbon bricks are widely used in steelmaking because of their excellent thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties. These bricks can be fabricated using various carbon sources. In a recent paper, researchers at Changwon National University investigated the effects of expanded graphite content on MgO–C bricks.
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ACerS St. Louis Section and Refractory Ceramics Division held the 58th Annual Symposium on Refractories in St. Louis, Mo., March 28–30, 2023. About 220 members of the refractory ceramics community attended the meeting, which focused on the theme of sustainability.
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Alumina spinel castables play an important role in the steel industry as lining for the ladle sidewalls and bottom. A new review paper published in International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology provides a detailed overview of these castables, including how various parameters affect their properties and performance.
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The common way to test alkali resistance of aluminosilicate refractories is based solely on visual observation after exposure to alkali vapor. Allied Mineral Products researchers explored a new procedure that would subject refractories to both visual analysis and formal analytical testing after exposure to alkali slag and vapor.
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