Hi everyone,
I’m working with silica ramming mass (quartzite) for induction furnaces (steel melting) and wanted to get insights from process / materials engineers who’ve dealt with furnace linings.
Some specific questions I’m trying to understand better:
1. PSD (Particle Size Distribution):
• What PSD ranges have you seen work best for maximum lining life?
• Typical fractions we are working with are:
• 3–5 mm
• 1–3 mm
• <1 mm
How critical is the coarse-to-fine ratio in preventing erosion and cracking?
2. Fines (-1 mm) control:
• At what % of fines does lining life start degrading noticeably?
• How do you balance packing density vs excessive vitrification?
3. Angularity vs fines:
• Is higher angularity always better, or does it increase micro-cracking under thermal cycling?
4. Boron-based silica ramming mass:
• From a thermal chemistry standpoint, how does boron oxide / boric acid addition improve lining life?
• Is the benefit mainly from lower melting point glass phase, or improved sintering behavior?
5. Process side:
• Have you seen a clear correlation between PSD stability + controlled fines and number of heats per lining in induction furnaces (10–20 MT range)?