What is the application of insulating fire bricks?

Insulating fire brick, in abbreviation form, is known as IFB. It sometimes can also be called as soft brick, because they have relatively soft textures. Large insulating fire brick is a type of refractory material and is famous for its high porosity, low bulk density as well as low thermal conductivity. Therefore, large insulating fire bricks have outstanding properties compared with other refractory bricks, which results in their wide range of applications. What are the special uses of large insulating fire bricks? Where can insulating fire bricks be used? This passage may give you some ideas about these questions.

-        Properties of insulating fire bricks

a.     Porous structure

b.     Low bulk density

c.      Low thermal conductivity

-        Applications of insulating fire bricks

a.     In high temperature conditions

b.     In relatively low temperature conditions

c.      Other cases

Properties of insulating fire bricks

As a type of refractory material, large insulating fire bricks possess the basic properties of other refractory materials such as refractoriness (the service temperature of insulating fire brick is roughly at 900 – 2000 Celsius degrees). Besides, they have their own unique characteristics, including its porous structure, low bulk density and low thermal conductivity.

Porous structure:

Insulating fire bricks have good insulation ability mainly due to their inner structures. Their high apparent porosity endows them comparatively low thermal conductivity, and that is the reason why they serve as insulation materials. The porosity of insulating fire bricks is greatly determined by the manufacturing process.

Low bulk density:

The property of low bulk density means insulating fire bricks have light weights, making them easy and convenient to carry. However, on the other hand, it also means they do not have high strength, which is a disadvantage for construction materials.

Low thermal conductivity:

Insulation fire bricks’ chemical composition, bulk density and inner porosity jointly contributes to the final thermal conductivity. Insulation fire bricks with low bulk density and good porosity will possibly have a low thermal conductivity.

Applications of insulating fire bricks

Insulating fire bricks can be utilized not only in extreme situations such as professional industrial process with very high temperatures, but also in some domestic scenes such as smaller chimneys and wood-fired ovens.

In high temperature conditions:

High temperature situations often refer to many industrial manufacturing processes, such as in a steel-making furnace, in a wood-burning or coal-burning facility. These conditions are sometimes extreme, involving temperatures as high as 1800 Celsius degrees. Large insulating fire bricks can prevent heat transfer in productions. Some Insulating fire bricks may liquify in extreme conditions, but this is expected and this contributes to their insulating characteristic.

In relatively low temperature conditions:

When it comes to lower temperature settings, insulating fire bricks are commonly seen in a variety of scenes, including residential, commercial, and industrial fields. Insulating fire bricks are used as the inner lining of incinerators, baking ovens, chimneys and so on. 

Other cases:

Since insulating fire bricks have comparatively low strength, they can be easily modified with hand tools. Therefore, insulating fire bricks have a variety of shapes and sizes. According to the specific requirements that a certain condition has, bricks with different physical features can be produced for better installation and application.

In general, insulating fire bricks are of popularity and they have a variety of applications in daily lives.