Preparation and characterisation of self-flowing refractory material containing 971U type microsilica

A newer composition of self-flowing low cement brown fused alumina castable containing 971U type microsilica was developed. Optimum flow characteristics were achieved using water addition of 4.6 wt-%. This batch was sintered at different firing temperatures up to 1500°C. To understand the effect of both firing temperatures and corresponding phases, the present castable was characterised in terms of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, bulk density (BD), apparent porosity (AP), water absorption (WA), cold crushing strength (CCS) and self-leveling flowability. The results revealed that gradual increase in firing temperature from 1100 through 1500°C caused low AP and WA, and high CCS properties due to the densification of the castable.