How many types of refractory raw material are there?

Refractory raw material, a kind of inorganic and non-metallic material, is used to form refractory material. It has excellent chemical and physical properties which are utilized to manufacture structures with good insulations. But there are a number of different refractory raw materials, exhibiting diverse characteristics. Thus, how to choose the most suitable refractory raw material often confuses customers. This passage will introduce multiple types of refractory raw materials and the differences between them.

-    What is refractory raw material?

-    Classification of refractory raw material

      o   Mineral aggregates

      o   Powdered raw materials

      o   Other minor types of refractory raw materials

-    Current situation of refractory raw materials

What is refractory raw material?

Refractory raw materials are tough in texture and resistant to high temperatures, which are eligible for applications where resistance to heat and abrasion, electrical or thermal insulation and other special characteristics are required. Refractory raw material is used for the reparations and linings of furnaces or bonding bricks or joints under high temperature conditions. Many refractory raw materials are made up of binder, mixture of clinker and coarse aggregates. Clinker, a molten mineral or mineral mixture, such as alumina, bauxite and lime, is grinded into powder. Aggregates are coarse grains that can be added to mortar, grout and cement to give them outstanding properties, including fire resistance, abrasion resistance or oxidation resistance. Common examples of refractory raw materials alumina ceramics, refractory clay, bricks, aluminate cement and monolithic refractories.

Classification of refractory raw material

There are many types of refractory raw materials, such as mineral aggregates, powdery raw materials.

Mineral aggregates:

Mineral aggregate refractory raw materials include grinded rock, stone or sand and they generally require thermal treatment during manufacturing processes. Fireclay is often defined as mineral aggregate which mainly consists of hydrous silicates of aluminum. Fireclay can be further divided into Kaolin group, fine-grained micas and quartz and even some organic compounds.

Powdered raw materials:

Powdered refractory raw materials refer to those in powdery state. Dry powder refractories are often utilized and fired in place. Gunning compound, another powdery product, is filled into a certain form with a gun or is placed on the lining of a furnace to form an insulating layer. Investment refractory raw materials are refractory powders with gypsum or phosphate binder.

Other minor types of refractory raw materials:

Potting compounds and sealants are able to serve as electrical insulation. Wet ramming mixture is a fire-resistant material with enough plasticity to compact the wet mixture or form it in a furnace or formwork. Also, refractory mortars, hardeners and synthetic aggregates are counted as refractory raw materials.

Current situation of refractory raw material

Due to the demand for high quality refractory raw material, market availability and pricing policy, refractory raw material is becoming more and more scarce. To reduce the stress of resources crisis, some alternative exploitation can be taken. For example, manufacturers might use recycled raw materials or replace scarce raw material with other material (such as using fireclays instead of bauxite).