Can Refractory Bricks Be Used After Being Exposed to Water?

The service life of high-temperature kiln refractory bricks is closely related to many internal or external factors. For example, in the face of many customers, friends will ask, do refractory bricks absorb water? Can it be used when wet?

Here I answer your question. Refractory bricks themselves have pores, so refractory bricks absorb water, and the water absorption rate is determined by their porosity.

The pores are divided into three categories: one side is closed and the other side is connected to the outside world, called open pores; those that are closed in the sample but not connected to the outside world are called closed pores. The several sides of the traditional sample are called closed pores, which are called ventilation holes. Total porosity, or true porosity, refers to the total volume of pores in a sample as a percentage of the total volume of the sample. Generally, through holes and open holes are merged, and there are fewer closed holes, making it difficult to measure directly. Therefore, porosity is expressed in terms of open porosity, that is, apparent porosity. Apparent porosity refers to the total volume of open pores in the sample as a percentage of the total volume of the displayed sample.

In the process of using refractory bricks, some uncertain factors are often encountered. For example, during the construction process, the refractory bricks encountered rainy days and the material became damp. In this case, strictly speaking, this is extremely wrong. It was not properly preserved. Therefore, if it cannot be used, it should be used after the refractory bricks themselves have dried naturally, or according to the masonry condition and the furnace type of the building, the porosity of the refractory bricks will increase when exposed to water, and the infiltration of water will cause its weight to increase. Some customers said that after the furnace masonry is completed, isn’t there a drying process?

This is a fluke. The purpose of oven drying is to dry the finished lining to a certain oven strength. If wet refractory bricks are used, a large amount of free water vapor will diffuse during the oven drying process, so the water vapor will increase the pores of the entire lining from all parts, which not only prolongs the drying time but also eliminates the free water in the refractory bricks after drying. After draining, the water vapor may not diffuse again when the refractory bricks are put into production, causing the pores in the furnace lining to increase or the masonry to loosen. Refractory bricks themselves are not afraid of water, but it is not recommended to use refractory bricks that are exposed to water, so the materials must be properly kept.