Effect of Hollow Corundum Microspheres Additive on Physical and Mechanical Properties and Thermal Shock Resistance Behavior of Bauxite Based Refractory Castable

This paper analyses the effect of hollow corundum microspheres (HCM) on both physical-mechanical properties (density, ultrasonic pulse velocity, modulus of elasticity, and compressive strength) and thermal shock resistance behavior of refractory medium cement castable with bauxite aggregate. Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results of HCM and refractory castable samples are presented in the paper. It was found that the replacement of bauxite of 0–0.1 mm fraction by HCM (2.5%, 5%, and 10% by weight of dry mix) had no significant effect on the density and compressive strength of castable, while the modulus of elasticity decreased by 15%. Ultrasonic pulse velocity (Vup) values and the visual analysis of the samples after thermal cycling showed that a small amount of HCM in composition of refractory castable could reduce the formation and propagation of cracks and thus increase its thermal shock resistance.