refractory (redirected from refractories)

refractory

Material that is not deformed or damaged by high temperatures, used to make crucibles, incinerators, insulation, and furnaces, particularly metallurgical furnaces. Refractories are produced in several forms: molded bricks of various shapes, bulk granular materials, plastic mixtures consisting of moistened aggregates that are rammed into place, castables composed of dry aggregates and a binder that can be mixed with water and poured like concrete, and mortars and cements for laying brickwork.

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refractory

1. Med not responding to treatment

2. (of a material) able to withstand high temperatures without fusion or decomposition

3. a material, such as fireclay or alumina, that is able to withstand high temperatures: used to line furnaces, kilns, etc.

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Refractory

One of a number of ceramic materials for use in high-temperature structures or equipment. The term high temperatures is somewhat indefinite but usually means above about 1830°F (1000°C), or temperatures at which, because of melting or oxidation, the common metals cannot be used. In some special high-temperature applications, the so-called refractory metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum are used. See Ceramics

The greatest use of refractories is in the steel industry, where they are used for construction of linings of equipment such as blast furnaces, hot stoves, and open-hearth furnaces. Other important uses of refractories are for cement kilns, glass tanks, nonferrous metallurgical furnaces, ceramic kilns, steam boilers, and paper plants. Special types of refractories are used in rockets, jets, and nuclear power plants. Many refractory materials, such as aluminum oxide and silicon carbide, are also very hard and are used as abrasives; some applications, for example, aircraft brake linings, make use of both characteristics.

Refractory materials are commonly grouped into (1) those containing mainly aluminosilicates; (2) those made predominantly of silica; (3) those made of magnesite, dolomite, or chrome ore, termed basic refractories (because of their chemical behavior); and (4) a miscellaneous category usually referred to as special refractories.