Influence of Dispersants on Flow Ability of Colloidal Alumina Bonded Corundum Castables

In order to make corundum castables satisfy more severe service conditions in high temperature industries,colloidal alumina due to the same main component with corundum castables was introduced for a pure binding system.The influence of three dispersants(citric acid,FS10 and urea)on the flow ability of colloidal alumina bonded corundum castables was researched to choose a suitable dispersant for solving the shaping problem.In order to further understand the influence of dispersants on the flow ability and the mechanism,the rheological property and Zeta potential value of the colloidal aluminadispersant system and the matrix-colloidal alumina-urea-water system were tested.The results show the castables added with the urea have the best flow ability,and the appropriate addition of the urea is 0.5%.

Effect of H_(2)O_(2) Addition on Anti-explosion Performance of p-Al_(2)O_(3) Bonded Corundum Castables

In order to improve the anti-explosion performance ofρ-Al_(2)O_(3) bonded corundum castables,H_(2)O_(2) was added(0,0.025%,0.050%,0.075%,0.100%and 0.125%,by mass)as the anti-explosion agent.After mixing and casting,specimens were prepared.Some specimens were cured at room temperature for 12 h and demoulded for the anti-explosion performance test at different temperatures(450,500,550,600,650,700,750 and 800℃);the other specimens were cured,dried and fired,and tested in terms of the apparent porosity,the density,the cold mechanical properties,the air permeability and the pore size distribution.The results show that:(1)with the increase of the H_(2)O_(2) addition,the anti-explosion performance of castables increases gradually,the average pore size increases gradually,and the density and the strength decrease gradually;(2)by comprehensive consideration,the appropriate addition of H_(2)O_(2) shall be within 0.075%.

Effect of Curing Temperature on Intermediate Temperature Properties of Calcium Aluminate Cement Bonded Corundum Castables

In order to study the effect of the curing temperature on the intermediate temperature properties of calcium aluminate cement bonded corundum castables,the prepared castables were cured at 5,10,25,40 and 50℃,respectively,dried at 110℃ for 24 h and heat treated at 800 and 1100 ℃,respectively.Then the apparent porosity,the cold modulus of rupture and the cold crushing strength were measured.The phase composition of castable matrix specimens treated under the same conditions and the influence of the curing temperature on the intermediate temperature strength of the castables were also analyzed.The results show that with the increase of the curing temperature,the hydration degree of calcium aluminate cement increases,which promotes the uniform distribution of hydration products with AI203 after decomposition,thus enhancing the intermediate temperature strength of castables.

Effect of ZnO Precursor on Properties of Calcium Aluminate Cement Bonded Corundum Castables

Calcium aluminate cement(CAC)bonded corundum based castables were prepared using tabular corundum and activated alumina as the starting materials,CAC as the binder,zinc hydroxide(Zn(OH)_(2))and basic zinc carbonate(BZC)as the ZnO precursors.The effects of the two ZnO precursors on the phase composition and the microstructure of the CAC bonded corundum based castable matrix specimens were analyzed,and the reasons affecting the hot performance of the castables were studied.The results show that Zn(OH)_(2) with a smaller particle size(d_(50)=1.26μm)is prone to agglomerate during sample preparation and generates ZnAl_(2)O_(4) spinel grains after firing,hindering the growth of CA_(6),thus decreasing the mechanical strength of the castables.BZC with a larger particle size(d_(50)=2.91μm),which shows a sound dispersity,in-situ generates nano-sized ZnO after firing,and ZnO or Zn^(2+)diffuses into calcium aluminates,promoting the sintering of CA_(2) and CA_(6),thereby enhancing the hot properties of the CAC-bonded corundum based castables.

Effects of Nano Calcium Carbonate on Strength and Microstructure of Corundum-based Castables

The castables specimens were prepared using white fused alumina particle and powder, α-Al2O3 micropowder, hydrated alumina, nano calcium carbonate or calcium aluminate cement as starting materials. Effects of nano calcium carbonate addition on phase compositions, strength and microstructure of corundum based castables were studied. The calcium aluminate cement-containing corundum based castables with the same CaO amount was also tested for comparison. The results show that, when temperature is higher than 900 ℃ , the phase compositions of nano CaCO3-containing mixture and the calcium aluminate cement containing mixture are the same, but the forming mechanism, modality and distribution of new phases in the castables are different. With temperature rising, the hydration cement dehydrates and reacts inside cement forming calcium aluminate until the alumina in cement is not enough for the reaction （ternperature is 91 400 ℃ ） , then reacts with the surrounding alumina forming cluster CA6 in the castables. The change process of nano CaCO3 in corundum based enstables is that nano calcium carbonate decomposes to CaO after firing at 800℃ which reacts with Al2O3 forming amorphous calcium aluminate that causes an in-situ bonding. With temperature rising, the formed calcium aluminate reacts with Al2O3 in matrix and wholly forms tabular CA6 at 1 600 ℃ , which distributes uniformly in the castables. The cold and hot strength of the castables with nano calcium carbonate are obviously higher than those of the castables without nano calcium carbonate, especially at 800 -1 000 ℃ due to smaller size and higher dispersion of the nano calcium carbonate and its different reaction mechanism with Al2O3.

Comparative Study of Lightweight Corundum with Different Microstructures and Its Effect on Slag Resistance of Al2O3-MgO Castables

Corundum -spinel castables containing lightweight aggregates have drawn many attentions due to their po- tential for energy-saving, especially when applied in the high-temperature region, such as the work lining of refi- ning ladle. One main aspect that restricts their applica- tion is the slag corrosion performance. In this study, one dense tabular corundum and three kinds of lightweight corundum were chosen as aggregates to prepare four dif- ferent corundum - spinel castables. The slag resistance was compared through the induction furnace corrosion test. SEM - EDS, XRD, and thermodynamic and kinet- ics analysis were adopted for the discussion of the corro- sion mechanism. Results show that the crystal grain size and shape of aggregates are important for the slag corro- sion resistance of lightweight corundum -spinel castables under dynamic condition （enforced convection） , yet the effects of pore characteristics are not dominated. Aggre- gates with large flake-like crystal grains show a thicker dissolution diffusion boundary layer and a lower dissolution rate, resulting in a favorable corrosion resist- ance of the castable. The poor microstructure of the ag- gregates, namely, larger pores and small and spherical grains, would cause deterioration of castables＇ slag resistance.

Effect of Nano-CaCo_3 on Properties and Microstructure of Corundum Based Castables

The chrome-containing corundum castables specimens with different nano-CaCO3 additions （0-1.6 wt%） were prepared using tabular corundum,alumina powder,chrome oxide micropowder （average particle size 〈 5 μm）,calcium aluminate cement （Secar71）,commercial nano-CaCO3 （average particle size 〈100 nm） as main starting materials and FS10 as water reducer. The specimens heat treated at 1 000 ℃ and 1 600 ℃ were characterized in terms of apparent porosity,bulk density,cold and hot strengths,and microstructure. The results show that,when the nano-CaCO3 addition is no more than 1.0 wt%,the apparent porosity of the castables increases with nano-CaCO3 addition increasing,both the cold and hot strengths are enhanced; however,when the nano-CaCO3 addition excesses 1.0 wt%,both the cold and hot strengths go down remarkably with nano-CaCO3 addition increasing; the thermal shock resistance is gradually improved with nano-CaCO3 addition increasing in chosen range.

Effects of Tabular Corundum Types on Properties of Corundum-spinel Castables

The corundum - spinel castables were prepared by six kinds of tabular corundum, as aggregates, respective- ly, and their linear change rate on heating, apparent porosity, bulk density, cold modulus of rupture, coht crushing strength, hot modulus of rupture and thermal shock resistance were compared and studied. The results show that： 1） the six tabular corundum materials have similar main chemical composition but their physical properties vary for the different technical procedures which result in different properties of castables ; 2 ） the optimal properties of corundum - spinel castables corre- spotut to different tabular corundum types, so the corundum type shall be selected according to the application of the castables.

Effect of Microsilica on Chemical Bond of Calcium Aluminate Cement Bonded Corundum Castable at Low and Intermediate Temperatures

Calcium aluminate cement bonded corundum castable specimens were prepared using brown fused corundum （8 - 5, 5 - 3, 3 - 1 mm ） , white fused corundum （ ≤ 1, ≤0. 045 mm）, micro-sized α-Al2O3 and microsilica as starting materials. This work focused on investigating the relationship between the bond change in the castable matrix and the strength of the castable with 5 mass% microsilica or without microsilica after heat treatment at 110, 800 and 1 000 ℃, respectively. Chemical bond changes between the microsilica and hy- drates of calcium aluminate cement after drying at 110 ℃ or firing at 800 ℃ were investigated by XPS and FTIR. The results show that Si-O-Al bonds form be- tween the microsilica and hydrates of calcium aluminate cement after drying at 110 ℃ or firing at 800 ℃. Therefore, the increased strength of castable specimens is attributed to the formation of Si-O-Al bonds from 110 ℃ to 800 ℃.

Effect of Calcium Chloride Addition on Properties of Corundum Spinel Castable

Corundum spinel castable was prepared using tabular corundum as aggregates,white fused corundum powder,spinel powder and alumina powder as the matrix,pure calcium aluminate cement as a binder,and extra adding calcium chloride(0,1%,2%,and 3%,by mass).The effects of the CaCl2 addition on the cold physical properties,the hot strength,the thermal shock resistance and the microstructure of the castable were studied.The results show that,for the corundum spinel castable fired at 1550℃,with the increase of the CaCl2 addition from 0 to 3%,the cold strengthes first increase,then decrease,the apparent porosity increases,the volume density decreases,and the linear change rate first decreases and then increases,while the overall change is not significant;however,the hot modulus of rupture and the thermal shock resistance are obviously improved.This is mainly due to that,CaCl2 is evenly distributed in the castable in the form of solution,and reacts with Al2O3 to form small flake CA6 crystals,which evenly distributed in the sample matrix strengthening and toughening the material.

Rheological and mechanical properties of aluminosilicious cementitious materials as refractory castable binders

Metakaolin(MK)is an important refractory raw material,which has been used as a cementitious material.In order to improve the bonding strength of MK,the composite cementitious materials were prepared by MK mixed with hydrat-able alumina(HA)and microsilica(MS),respectively.The silane coupling agent(SCA)was introduced as a modifying agent.The rheological properties of MK-based composite cementitious slurries were investigated.The mechanical properties of corundum castables bonded with the composite cementitious materials and calcium aluminate cement(CAC)were comparatively studied.The results show that SCA improves the rheological properties of MK-based composite cementitious materials.The slurry of MK–MS mixture flows in a plastic manner,while the slurry of MK–HA mixture presents pseudoplastic flow.The addition of SCA reduces the yield stress value of the MK–HA slurry.The bonding strength of castables bonded with MK-based composite cementitious materials is lower than that of CAC bonding castables.The room temperature strength of MK–MS composite bonding castable remains the highest after being treated either at 1100 or 1550°C,and its high temperature modulus of rupture is higher than that of CAC bonding castables with microsilica added.

Numerical study of creep effect on purging plug performance under cyclic service

The service life of the purging plug is one of the fundamental factors that determine the downtime and usage efficiency of the whole ladle.The creep behaviour of the purging plug was thus investigated to identify the possible failure mechanism.At first,the creep parameters of the Norton–Bailey strain hardening rule were inversely identified via the results of the creep test.Then,the thermal-solid coupling model approach was employed to predict the creep behaviour of the purging plug,in which the Norton–Bailey strain hardening rule was applied.The numerical results show that the temperature of the purging plug presents a cyclic trend after the first service period since the preheating temperature is lower than the temperature of molten steel.Furthermore,the distribution of the creep strain intensity in a layered form could also contribute to a gradual spalling of the purging plug end in service.Besides,the creep strain concentration around the slit can be responsible for the clogging of the purging plug.