When a lining wears out sooner than expected, the cause is usually one of these.
- The wrong grade for the duty. A material chosen on price that cannot take the peak temperature or the load.
- Heating up too fast. Thermal shock cracks brick, and trapped water in new castable turns to steam and breaks the lining.
- No room to expand. Refractories grow when hot. Without expansion allowance the lining pushes itself apart.
- Chemical attack. Slag, alkali vapour, molten glass or acid gases that were not allowed for when the material was chosen.
- Mechanical damage. Charging, scraping and load that wear or crack the hot face.
- Poor installation. Gaps, the wrong mortar, or material that was damp or past its shelf life.
What to do
Note where the lining fails and how, check for hot spots on the steel shell, and keep a record of temperatures and heat-up rates. That evidence points to the real cause, and we can help you choose a better grade or layout.