13 Types of Refractory Materials and Their Applications

Refractory materials are used in various fields of the national economy, such as iron and steel, nonferrous metal, glass, cement, ceramics, petrochemical, machinery, boiler, light industry, electric power, military industry, etc. It is an essential basic material to ensure the production and operation of the above-mentioned industries and the development of technology. In this article, we’ll take a look at the types of refractory materials and their applications.

What Are Refractory Materials?
Refractory materials generally refer to the inorganic nonmetal materials with a refractory degree of 1580 oC or above. Refractory materials include natural ores and various products made by certain purposes and requirements through certain processes, which have certain high-temperature mechanical properties and good volume stability. They are the necessary materials for various high-temperature equipment.

13 Types of Refractory Materials and Their Applications
1. Fired Refractory Products
Fired refractory products are refractory materials obtained by kneading, molding, drying and high-temperature firing of granular and powdery refractory raw materials and binders. 

2. Non-Fired Refractory Products
Non-fired refractory products are refractory materials that are made of granular, powdered refractory materials and suitable binders but are directly used without being fired.

3. Special Refractory 
Special refractory is a kind of refractory material with special properties made of one or more of high melting point oxides, refractory non-oxides and carbon.

4. Monolithic Refractory (Bulk Refractory Or Refractory Concrete)
Monolithic refractories refer to refractory materials with a reasonable gradation of granular, powdery refractory raw materials, binders, and various admixtures that are not fired at high temperatures, and are used directly after mixing, molding and grilling material.

5. Functional Refractory Materials
Functional refractory materials are fired or non-fired refractory materials that are mixed with granulated and powdered refractory raw materials and binders to form a certain shape and have specific smelting applications.

6. Clay Bricks
Clay bricks are aluminum silicate refractory materials composed of mullite, glass phase, and cristobalite with an AL203 content of 30% to 48%.

Applications of Clay Bricks 
Clay bricks are a widely used refractory material. They are often used in masonry blast furnaces, hot blast stoves, glass kilns, rotary kilns, etc.

7. High Alumina Bricks
Types of Refractory Materials
High alumina bricks refer to refractory materials with an AL3 content of more than 48%, mainly composed of corundum, mullite, and glass.

Applications of High Alumina Bricks
It is mainly used in the metallurgy industry to build the plug and nozzle of a blast furnace, hot air furnace, electric furnace roof, steel drum, and pouring system, etc.

8. Silicon Bricks  
The Si02 content of silicon brick is more than 93%, which is mainly composed of phosphor quartz, cristobalite, residual quartz, and glass.

Applications of Silicon Bricks
Silicon bricks are mainly used to build the partition walls of the coking oven carbonization and combustion chambers, open-hearth heat storage chambers, high-temperature bearing parts of hot blast stoves, and vaults of other high-temperature kilns.

9. Magnesium Bricks
Types of Refractory Materials
Magnesium bricks are alkaline refractory materials made from sintered magnesia or fused magnesia as raw materials, which are press-molded and sintered.

Applications of Magnesium Bricks
Magnesium bricks are mainly used in open-hearth furnaces, electric furnaces, and mixed iron furnaces.

10. Corundum Bricks
Corundum brick refers to refractory with alumina content ≥90% and corundum as the main phase.

Applications of Corundum Bricks
Corundum bricks are mainly used in blast furnaces, hot blast stoves, refining outside the furnace, and sliding nozzles.

11. Ramming Material 
The ramming material refers to a bulk material formed by a strong ramming method, which is composed of a certain size of refractory material, a binder, and an additive.

Applications of Ramming Material 
The ramming material is mainly used for the overall lining of various industrial furnaces, such as open-hearth furnace bottom, electric furnace bottom, induction furnace lining, ladle lining, tapping trough, etc.

12. Plastic Refractory 
Plastic refractories are amorphous refractory materials that have good plasticity over a long period of time. It is composed of a certain grade of refractory, binder, plasticizer, water and admixture.

Applications of Plastic Refractory
It can be used in various heating furnaces, soaking furnaces, annealing furnaces, and sintering furnaces. 

13. Casting Material
The casting material is a kind of refractory with good fluidity, suitable for pouring molding. It is a mixture of aggregate, powder, cement, admixture and so on.

Applications of Casting Material
The casting material is mostly used in various industrial furnaces. It is the most widely used monolithic refractory material.

Conclusion 
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