technology trends

Perceptions and Characteristics of Fused and Sintered

Refractory Aggregates

M. Schnabel, A. Buhr, D. Schmidtmeier, S. Chatterjee, J. Dutton

Tabular alumina and BSA 96. Other aggre-

There are many perceptions in the market about the most appropri- gates such as Spinel and mullite also exist
as fused and sintered versions but are not
ate refractory aggregate for a particular application. Opinions about
discussed in this paper.
the relative benefits of the fused and sintered versions of synthetic
high alumina materials are set and often difficult to discuss and re- 2 Production of high alumina
fute. But changes in the refractory raw materials market over the past aggregates
few years have influenced the properties of the currently available 2.1 Fusion process
synthetic high alumina materials and triggered the development of Typically, white fused alumina (WFA) is pro-
new aggregates. The purpose of this paper is to outline the differ- duced by batch melting of a Bayer alumina
ences between high alumina fused and sintered raw materials. The feedstock in an electric arc furnace. After
melting at temperatures >2000 °C, cool-
focus will be on physical properties such as density, porosity and
ing of the blocks takes place and Na2O is
grain shape, but the influence on the final properties of refractory segregated as β-alumina (Na2O · 11 Al2O3)
formulations such as bricks, castables or dry vibratable mixes is also in the upper central portion of the fused
discussed (DVMs). block. Due to the inherent cooling of the
molten alumina block, WFA properties dif-
fer between the inner and the outer part
of the block. Apart from the differences in
1 Introduction Many changes have taken place in the re- Na2O content, the crystal size and the open
The refractory community continuously fractory raw materials market over the past porosity also vary in different sections of the
strives for better and deeper understanding few years. Long-established production block. Careful selection of the various WFA
of materials, their reactions and applica- facilities have been shut-down and new
tions. Studies conducted in the past, plus ones built at strategically favourable loca-
individual experiences, positive or negative, tions. Short-supply and economic pressure Marion Schnabel, Andreas Buhr,
have created many perceptions in the mar- have led to changes in certain production Dagmar Schmidtmeier
ket about the most appropriate refractory processes. Mines have been closed, other Almatis GmbH
aggregate for a particular application. mineral deposits opened and new raw Frankfurt/Ludwigshafen
With regard to the use of fused and sintered materials have been developed. Fused and Germany
aggregates in both refractory bricks and sintered versions of most synthetic high
castables, opinions are set and are difficult alumina materials exist in the market. High Shanka Chatterjee
to discuss and refute. These include: alumina aggregates with >99 % Al2O3 are Almatis Alumina Pvt. Ltd
• Fused raw materials are more dense and white fused alumina (WFA) and sintered Kolkata
therefore more resistant to corrosion tabular alumina. Brown fused alumina India
• Fused raw materials have a rounder grain (BFA) was for long time the only choice as
shape that is better for densification and a titanium-doped high alumina aggregate. Jerry Dutton
flowability With the development of BSA 96, an alter- Stourbridge
• Sintered aggregates are more reactive native sintered aggregate was introduced Great Britain
and develop higher strength during firing. to the market in 2010 [1].
Therefore the thermal shock resistance is The purpose of this paper is to outline the Corresponding author: M. Schnabel
lower when compared to fused aggre- differences between high alumina fused E-mail: [email protected]
gates. and sintered raw materials and show their
However, something that applied in the influence on the final properties of refrac- Keywords: refractory aggregates, AMC
past does not necessarily have to be still tory formulations. The focus will be on white bricks, vibration mixes, high alumina bricks
valid today. and brown fused alumina and sintered

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 Technology Trends

Tab. 1 Chemistry of BSA 96 by fraction and have a negative impact on the flow and
setting behaviour of castables or influence
Chemistry [%] per Fraction
the sintering behaviour as described by
Fraction 6–15 mm 3–6 mm 1–3 mm 0,5–1 mm 0–0,5 mm <90 μm
Büchel et. al. [4].
Na2O 0,30 0,32 0,31 0,31 0,29 0,32
Fe2O3 0,15 0,14 0,15 0,15 0,15 0,14 3.1 Density and Porosity
SiO2 0,91 1,10 1,06 1,04 0,95 1,08 It is often stated that fused grains show a
better chemical resistance when compared
Tab. 2 Comparison of open porosity and mean pore diameter of to sintered aggregates of similar chemical
fused and sintered refractory aggregates composition due to high density, low open
porosity and large crystal size.
Tabular
White Fused Alumina (WFA) White and brown fused alumina samples of
Alumina
different origin (European and Chinese) and
T60/T64 Supplier A Supplier B Supplier C
Tabular alumina and BSA 96 were tested at
5–8 mm 3–5 mm 3–6 mm 3–6 mm
the DIFK/DE by using the mercury-intrusion
Mean pore diameter [μm] 0,71 47,3 30,7 43,9 method in accordance with DIN 66133. The
Open porosity [vol.-%] 1,51 5,56 5,77 5,22 bulk density, open por­os­ity and mean pore
Bulk density [g/cm ]3
3,60 3,66 3,66 3,71 diameter are shown in Tab. 2 and the pore
size distribution (relative pore volume) in
BSA 96 Brown Fused Alumina (BFA) Fig. 1a–d.
Supplier A Supplier B Supplier C The bulk density and the open porosity of
all WFA samples is higher than for tabular
5–8 mm 3–5 mm 3–6 mm 6–10 mm 3–6 mm
alumina. This can be attributed to the differ-
Mean pore diameter [μm] 0,38 28,0 14,7 27,0 24,9
ences in microstructure between fused and
Open porosity [vol.-%] 4,40 0,85 1,84 1,99 1,24 sintered alumina (Fig. 2).
Bulk density [g/cm3] 3,52 3,88 3,88 3,85 4,00 The ceramic sinter process permits a well-
controlled development of microstructure
grades is required to separate low purity the refractory producers, it is necessary to where small pores are entrapped inside
WFA and the small crystal size fused alu- agglomerate the ground feedstock prior to and between the crystals. These pores are
mina from the higher quality portion. the sintering. This is done in a granu­lation mainly closed and are the reason for the
Brown fused alumina is produced by fusing process, in which balls of 25 to 30 mm di- lower bulk density and lower open poros-
pre-calcined non-metallurgical bauxite in a ameter are formed. The green balls are then ity of tabular alumina. However, even more
batch or semi-batch furnace. During the fu- rapid-sintered in a vertical shaft kiln at tem- important than the absolute value of open
sion process oxides of silicon and iron are peratures in excess of 1800 °C u­ nder a neu- porosity is the difference in the mean pore
reduced to metal by the addition of coke tral to oxidizing atmosphere. The ­final step diameter between WFA and tabular alu-
and are removed as ferrosilicon. Iron scrap after cooling of the sintered balls is crushing mina. The average pore size of the tested
is added to facilitate the gravimetric separ­ and screening of the balls to specific aggre- white fused alumina varies between 30,7–
ation of ferrosilicon [2]. gate sizes. Intensive magnetic de-ironing 47,3 µm whereas tabular alumina exhibits
A shortening of the melting and separation is incorporated into the process to remove a mean pore diameter in the submicron
process in order to reduce production cost iron contamination in the final products [3]. range of 0,71 µm. As shown in Fig. 1a–d in
will have a significant impact on the qual- tabular alumina there are virtually no pores
ity of the fused product. Unless the fusion 3 Chemical purity present with a diameter larger than 10 µm.
process is carefully controlled, the product The impurity levels of fused and sintered Brown fused alumina has a significantly
may contain residual carbides, metallic in- aggregate are generally similar. The major higher bulk density and slightly lower open
clusions and other impurities. difference is the location of the impurities. porosity by mercury intrusion method when
Because of the ceramic processing the im- compared to BSA 96. But the mean pore di-
2.2 Sintering process purities of sintered aggregates are homo­ ameters for the brown fused samples range
The production of sintered high alumina genously distributed within the structure. between 14,7–28,0 µm whereas the mean
aggregates such as tabular alumina and As a consequence all size fractions have pore diameter of BSA 96 is only 0,38 µm.
BSA 96 follows the same process steps as the same chemical composition as shown in The total open porosity of a refractory
practised in the advanced ceramics indus- Tab. 1. Even the fine milled materials have material is a critical value, because open
try. In principle, they consist of raw mater­ the same chemical composition as coarser pores increase the surface area of the re-
ial grinding, forming, drying and sintering. fractions. fractory material that can be attacked and
Initially, fine-crystalline alumina feedstock This is different to fused aggregates where will therefore contribute to accelerated
is ground in a ball mill. In order to get ag- impurities often accumulate in the fine frac- corrosion. However the pore size is also im-
gregate and powder sizes as required by tions. These impurities may react with water portant in order to judge the resistance of

76 refractories WORLDFORUM 7 (2015) [4]

 technology trends
Fig. 1 Pore size distribution of fused and sintered high alumina aggregates. Fig. 1 Pore size distribution of fused and sintered high alumina aggregates.
(a) WFA; (b) Tabular alumina; (c) BFA ; (d) BSA 96 (a) WFA; (b) Tabular alumina; (c) BFA ; (d) BSA 96
Pore size distribution Pore size distribution
Sample: WFA Sample: Tabular alumina

Open porosity Open porosity

Open porosity
Relative pore Relative pore

Relative Pore volume [%]

Relative Pore volume [%]

volume Relative pore volume
volume
Open porosity [%]

Open porosity [%]

a b
100 1000
100

Pore size [µm] Pore size [µm]

Fig.: 1 Pore size distribution of fused and sintered high alumina aggregates. 4
Fig.: 1 Pore size distribution of fused and sintered high alumina aggregates. 5

(a) WFA; (b) Tabular alumina; (c) BFA ; (d) BSA 96 (a) WFA; (b) Tabular alumina; (c) BFA ; (d) BSA 96

Pore size distribution Pore size distribution

Sample: BFA Sample: BSA 96

Open porosity Open porosity

Relative pore Relative pore

Relative Pore volume [%]

volume volume
Relative Pore volume [%]

Open porosity [%]

Open porosity [%]

d
C
Fig.2 Microstructure of tabular aluminaPore(a) and white fused alumina (b)
size [µm]
Pore size [µm]
6 7

Fig. 1 Pore size distribution of fused and sintered high alumina aggregates: a) WFA; b) tabular alumina; c) BFA; d) BSA 96

a material against corrosion. As shown by

Borovikov the calculated infiltration speed
of a pore with a size of 50 µm by a typ­
ical steel slag is more than 100 times higher
than for a pore of 1 µm [5].
Small pores <1 µm can almost not be infil-
trated by typical steel slags or metals and
do not therefore support corrosion by offer-
ing additional surface area.
Although the bulk density of fused aggre-
gates is generally higher than for the com-
parable sintered aggregate their porosity 100 µm 100 µm
a b
is mainly open with large pores that can
be easily penetrated. Tabular alumina and Fig. 2 Microstructure of tabular alumina (a) and white fused alumina (b)
BSA 96 show a clear advantage over fused
materials with regard to corrosion because 20 thermal shock cycles is four to five times For this study the focus was on:
of their closed porosity and the very fine higher than for fused aggregates with com- • Aspect or width/length ratio, as a func-
pore structure of the open pores. parable chemical composition [3]. tion of the largest diameter and the small-
The closed porosity of sintered high alumina est diameter at right angles to it. With
aggregates is also the reason for their good 3.1 Grain shape increasing aspect ratio the grains are
thermal shock resistance when compared The grain shape of fused and sintered high rounder; low values indicate elongated,
to fused materials. The pores prevent the alumina aggregates was measured with splintery grains.
propagation of cracks which have been an optical analyser, CAMSIZER P4 using • S phericity or circularity as described in
generated by the thermomechanical stress Dynamic Image Analysis (DIA) from Retsch ISO 13503-2
induced by the thermal shock. As described Technology. DIA analyses the shadow pro- •C  orner roundness as mean radius of
in previous papers the percentage of un- jections of particles and a variety of size all corners divided by the radius of the
damaged grains of tabular alumina after parameters can be measured. largest incircle. Higher values indicate a

refractories WORLDFORUM 7 (2015) [4] 77

 Fig. 4: Krumbein & Sloss table
Fig. 3 Shape parameters: width/length ratio (left), Sphericity (middle) and
Technology Trends
corner roundness (right)

largest incircle
4!A Perimeter; p 0.9

1,
0,

0,

1
6

7
2
P

0,
5

sphericity
0,
8
0.7

1,
3

0,
9
0,
8
xc min A 0.5

1,
4
corners of 0.3
the particle

0,
xFe max

9
0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9
roundness

Fig. Fig. 5 parameters:

3 Shape Mean aspect ratioratio
width/length of fused and sintered
(l.), sphericity (middle) andrefractory aggregates
corner roundness (r.) [7] Fig. 4 Krumbein and Sloss table [7]

edged, elongated particles are in the lower

left corner. As shown in Fig. 5 the average
aspect ratio of WFA, BFA and tabular alu-
mina are very close – 0,64 for the fused
aggregates and 0,65 for sintered alumina.
BSA96
9
shows a slightly higher average as-
pect ratio of 0,68 representing more cubic
shaped grains.
The influence of these apparently small dif-
ferences of the grain shape on the flowabil­
ity of a refractory castable is shown in Fig. 6.
Selected tabular fractions with different as-
pect ratios from 0,62 to 0,68 were tested
in a formulation of a self-flowing castable.
Particle size distribution and matrix com­
pos­ition were kept constant. The flowability
Fig.6 Relation of aspect ratio of refractory aggregate and flowability of awasself-
measured 10 min after mixing.
flowingFig.castable
5 Mean aspect ratio of fused and sintered refractory aggregates For the same water content the flowability
11
improves from 228 mm to 252 mm with an
increase of the aspect ratio from approx.
0,63 towards more cubic particles with an
aspect ratio of approx. 0,68.
The analysis of the size parameter according
the Krumbein and Sloss table even better il-
lustrates the differences between fused and
sintered refractory aggregates.
The mean sphericity of the tested WFA has a
wide spread from below 0,52–0,66. The two
visible major areas can be attributed to the
different suppliers of the material. All WFA
samples have a low mean roundness below
0,3 which means sharp-edged grains. As the
primary application of these ­aggregates is
in the abrasion market, this property is re-
quired to achieve good cutting results.
Flowability F10
The size parameters of tabular alumina
Fig. 6 Relationship of aspect ratio of refractory aggregate to flowability of a almost 12
­ overlap with those of the more
self-flowing castable rounded WFA samples. A slight shift can
be noticed in corner roundness which is on
smoother surface whereas sharp-edged on the X-axis is plotted against the spher­ average higher for the sintered aggregate.
particles have typically low values (Fig. 3). icity on the Y-axis, and therefore allows a The origin for this may well be in the micro-
A well-established method for determin­ more complex description of the particle structures which result in different fracture
ation of the shape of sand and sediments in shape. Particles with high corner round- behaviour.
geological analyses is the manual analysis ness and sphericity such as glass beads lie The BSA 96 results are positioned more in
of roundness and sphericity according to in the u­ pper right corner of the Krumbein the upper right corner of the chart which
Krumbein and Sloss. The corner roundness and Sloss table shown in Fig. 4. Sharp- represents the roundest grains with the

78 refractories WORLDFORUM 7 (2015) [4]

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Fig.7 Krumbein & Sloss Chart of fused and sintered refractory aggregates
smoothest surface of the tested materials.
The BFA results are wide spread for both
sphericity and roundness, but there are not
enough data points to draw sound conclu-
sions. It seems that as in the case of WFA
the shape parameters for BFA are also much
dependent on the supplier.

4 Sinter reactivity
Various studies have been conducted to
compare the differences in reactivity of
fused and sintered aggregates. The follow-
Fig. 9: EDX of BSA 96 (left) and BFA (right) grains in AMC brick fired
ing are excerpts from these studies. Add­
°C / 5 h in reducing conditions.
itional and more detailed information can
be found in the original publications.

4.1 AluMagCarbon (AMC) bricks

Fig. 7 Krumbein and Sloss chart of fused and sintered refractory aggregates
AMC bricks consist of an alumina aggre-
gate, calcined alumina, magnesia and car- 13
bon e.g. in the form of graphite and resin
binders. During use, AMC bricks expand
at the hot face due to a spinel formation,
which results in reduced wear in the joints
between the bricks.
The influence of the alumina aggregate
on the spinel formation during firing and
on the final brick properties of AMC bricks
have been investigated by Klewski et al. [8]. Fig. 9 EDX of BSA 96 (l.) and BFA (r.) grains in AMC bricks fired at 1600 °C/5 h
The test brick formulations were based upon in reducing conditions
four different high alumina aggregates
WFA, tabular alumina, BFA and BSA 96. bricks show a more intense and homo­ Sintered aggregates show an earlier and
Magnesia content and matrix ­formulation geneous spinel formation with the sintered more even spinel formation in AMC bricks
were identical for the first test series. BSA 96 (Fig. 9). when compared to fused aggregates due
Distinct differences were observed in the Spinel formation with tabular alumina is to their higher sintering activity. BSA 96
permanent linear change (PLC) between also quicker than for WFA as seen in the rise contains less and more evenly distributed
the BFA and BSA 96 bricks after firing. of the PLC curve above 1400 °C. In general impurities than BFA. Therefore BSA 96
BSA 96 shows a stronger increase of PLC the spinel formation of these high purity shows predictable and consistent behaviour
above 1300 °C when compared to BFA. materials starts at higher temperatures in spinel formation and PLC. Expansion be-
At 1600 °C the expansion with BSA 96 is when compared
Fig. 8. Permanent linear change of AMC bricks, fired under reducing
Fig. 10: to BFA
slag and BSA 96.
penetration This haviour
in high and thermomechanical
alumina brick; measuredproperties
by EDXA
2,7 %, but
conditions for 5 hours.with BFA it is 2,1  % (Fig. 8). proves the influence of traces of impurities can be by adjustment of magnesia content
Mineralogical investigations of the fired on the spinel formation. of the bricks.

Fig. 8 Permanent linear change of AMC bricks, Fig. 10 Slag penetration in high alumina bricks;
fired under reducing conditions for 5 h measured by EDXA [6] 17
14

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 Technology Trends

Tab. 3 Different DVM formulation concepts and results WFA based bricks. The slag penetration,
Mix 1 Mix 2 Mix 3
represented by the silica content rapidly de-
creased and, for the tabular alumina brick,
White fused alumina 0–3 mm 81
was almost zero at a depth of 12 mm. The
Tabular alumina coarse 65 72 WFA brick still had significant infiltration
fines 16 11 even further into the brick. This result can
Calcined alumina + sintering aid 7 7 7 be explained by the better densification in
addition to evenly distributed small pores
MgO 12 12 10
and a good link between matrix and sin-
Grain density [g/cm3] 3,70 3,55 3,55
tered grains. The strong interconnection of
Rammed density [g/cm3] 2,80 2,64 2,71 sintered aggregates and matrix also results
Densification [%] 75,7 74,4 76,3 in an improved abrasion resistance of the
PLC [%] 5,4 6,9 5,5 tabular alumina bricks when compared to
the white fused alumina bricks. The ab­ra­sion
CCS [MPa] 9,8 6,5 9,1
loss according to ASTM C704 was 4,4 cm3
for tabular alumina but 8,7 cm3 for WFA.
4.2 Dry vibration mixes er at 6,9 % when compared to WFA at only
Induction furnaces for high quality alloy 5,4 %. As a consequence the cold crushing 5 Conclusion
steel casting at high temperatures and with strength (CCS) is reduced. The manufacture of high-alumina aggre-
long residence time require high corrosion This confirms the higher thermal reactiv- gates generally requires significant energy
resistant lining materials. Spinel forming ity of tabular alumina compared to that input to make the highly refractory feedstock
alumina dry vibrations mixes (DVMs) are of WFA. Mineralogical analysis by XRD of react. Established technologies are the fu-
the typical lining solution. These mixes are mixes 1 and 2 found no spinel formation at sion process and the sinter route. Producing
installed in the dry form by compaction via 1000 °C, but a significantly higher amount fused alumina with an electric arc furnace
vibration/ramming. This is followed by an for mix 2 at elevated temperatures (1200– in itself is a very energy intensive process.
initial sintering step to achieve sufficient 1600 °C). Sinter processes run at lower energy lev-
strength in the front layer. For mix 3 the reactive components of the els. Considering the overall impact of high
The basic challenge in the formulation of spinel formation, tabular alumina fines and energy consumption and the correspond-
these type of refractory materials is to ac- MgO, were reduced to control the overall ing impact on greenhouse gas emissions, it
celerate the spinel formation in the front reactivity and to achieve similar expansion becomes obvious that the sinter process is
layer during the first melt to protect the lin- levels as obtained with the fused aggregate. the more sustainable process route for the
ing against early wear, but also to keep a The adjustment of the recipe resulted in manufacturing of high alumina aggregates.
less sintered powder zone at the back of the similar physical properties for a mix based The different process routes of fusing and
lining for safety purposes. on sintered aggregate to the traditionally sintering do not only influence the energy
Chatterjee et al. presented a study where used white fused alumina. balance of the manufactured raw material
high purity fused and sintered alumina ag- but also have an impact on the material
gregates are compared in spinel forming 4.3 High alumina bricks properties of the high alumina aggregates.
DVMs [9]. High purity corundum bricks are widely In general it can be stated that depending
White fused alumina and tabular alumina used in industrial furnaces such as oil crack- on the cooling conditions and the quality
were tested in the mixes detailed in Tab. 3. ing units. Critical properties are chemical of the grading process, fused aluminas are
For mix 2 only the aggregate was changed corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance more inhomogeneous products when com-
and the particle size distribution of the and thermo-mechanical stability. pared to the sintered aggregates. The sin-
tabular alumina fractions adjusted to take Studies conducted at the Luoyang Institute tering process route enables both a homo­
into account the differences in bulk density of Refractories Research (LIRR) in China, geneous distribution of the impurities in the
of WFA (around 3,70 g/cm3) and tabular compared high purity corundum bricks product and stable physical properties, e.g.
alumina (around 3,55 g/cm3). Although the based on tabular alumina and white fused density, porosity and microstructure.
rammed density of the tabular alumina mix- alumina as single aggregates and also a
es is lower, the densification level for tabular combination of both aggregates [6]. ”Fused raw materials are denser and thus
alumina is comparable to WFA. This proves Due to the higher reactivity of sintered ag- more resistant to corrosion”
that, contrary to what is often claimed, the gregates, the tabular alumina containing The bulk density of fused aggregates is gen-
particle shape of WFA does not allow bet- bricks show much higher density, lower erally higher than for comparable sintered
ter densification. As mentioned above the apparent porosity, higher compressive and aggregates, but their porosity is mainly
aspect ratio of particular cubic WFA and tensile strengths than WFA bricks at identi- open with very large pores of >50 µm. Sin-
tabular alumina are almost identical. cal firing temperatures. tered aggregates exhibit high closed por­
After firing at 1600 °C for 3 h, the expan- In corrosion tests with oil cracking slag, os­ity and very fine open pores of less than
sion of tabular alumina mix 2 is much high- the tabular alumina bricks outperformed 1 µm that can hardly be penetrated by cor-

80 refractories WORLDFORUM 7 (2015) [4]

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rosive media. The lower bulk density is even aggregates. To reduce excessive expansion [2] Cichy, P.: Fused alumina – pure and alloyed –
an economic advantage as less material is of the refractory materials adjustment of the as abrasive and refractory material. In: Alumina
required for a given application. recipes is required. Typically slight modifica- science and technology handbook. Ed. L.D.
tions, especially in the matrix, are sufficient to Hart. Westerville, OH (1990) 393–426
”Fused raw materials have a more roundish lower expansion reactions to a level similar [3] MacZura, G.: Production processes, properties,
grain shape that is better for densification to the one observed with fused aggregates. and applications for calcium aluminate. In: Alu-
and flowability” The earlier spinel formation can also be used mina science and technology handbook. Ed.
The grain size parameters of tabular alu- to achieve a moderate spinel formation over L.D. Hart. Westerville, OH (1990),109–170
mina and WFA overlap over a wide range. a wider temperature range. [4] Büchel, G.; et al.: Review of tabular alumina
Some white fused aluminas are even more The better interconnection of the matrix as high performance refractory material. Inter-
splintery than the sintered aggregate. This with sintered aggregates increases the ceram Refractories Manual (2007) 6–12
was also shown by identical densifica- abrasion resistance of high alumina bricks [5] Borovikov, R.: Untersuchungen zum Verschleiß
tion levels in sensitive dry vibrating mixes. and improves the penetration of slag. hochtonerdehaltiger Feuerfestmaterialien für
BSA 96 has the roundest grains of the The influence of the higher reactivity on die Pfannenmetallurgie im Stahlwerksbetrieb.
tested refractory aggregates and also the thermal shock resistance is not yet clear. Ini- PhD thesis, Freiberg 2002
highest corner roundness. tial trials with high purity alumina castables [6] Liu, X.; et al.: Tabular alumina for high purity
and high alumina bricks did not confirm corundum brick. The 5th Int. Symposium on Re-
”Sintered aggregates are more reactive and superior behaviour of fused aggregates. It fractories (ISR’2007)
develop higher strength during firing. There- appears that it may well be the design of [7] www.retsch-technology.com/rt/
fore the thermal shock resistance is lower the matrix that has a significant role in the applications/technical-basics/particle-shape/
when compared to fused aggregates” thermal shock resistance. Further studies [8] Klewski, M.; et al.: Spinel formation and tech-
Sintered aggregates such as tabular alu- are ongoing. nical properties of AluMagCarbon bricks with
mina and BSA 96 are more reactive than different alumina aggregates. UNITECR 2015
fused aggregates of similar chemistry. In References [9] Shankha Chatterjee, A.; et al.: Role of tabular
AMC bricks and dry vibrating mixes sintered [1] Amthauer, K.; et al.: New European sinter ag- alumina as a suitable aggregate for emerging
aggregates show an earlier and a more even gregate with 96 % Al2O3, 54. Int. Coll. on Re- applications – focus on dry ramming mix. IREF-
spinel formation when compared to fused fractories, Aachen 2011, 95–98 CON 2014, 97–103