Refractory materials are composite materials that are resistant to high temperatures and corrosion, and are widely used in various fields of manufacturing. One of the main applications is as a protective lining for steel ladles and refining furnaces in steel production, as well as controlling the flow of molten metal. High temperature resistant oxides require extremely harsh working environments, including corrosive environments and high temperatures (liquid metal temperatures exceeding 1650 ℃). During use, it will come into contact with molten metal, protective slag, and rough surfaces, accompanied by corrosion and wear, which significantly affects the stability of refractory materials and may lead to a decrease in service life. Therefore, the physical and chemical properties of the materials used have a significant impact on the stability and wear resistance of refractory materials during use, making the selection of suitable materials crucial. Most refractory materials are prepared by mixing various types of materials, such as ceramic powders (oxides), active metals or carbides, and sometimes carbon/graphite flakes are chosen to make the final product.

Large area preview of complex refractory materials

The materials used in this application sharing may be used for pressing bricks, integral furnace linings, or carbon bonded products, such as plunger rods and immersion nozzles for continuous casting. The refractory consists of zircon mullite, brown corundum and fine fused silica. For experimental purposes, different particles were embedded with epoxy resin and polished. Scanning the polished sample over a large area to observe the distribution of different materials, traditional methods usually provide BSE or SE images, but cannot reveal the composition of particles. In fact, BSE image contrast provides information about different materials through atomic number differences, which is not sufficient to distinguish different phase compositions and possible pollutants in complex refractory materials. In scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) is commonly used. In this application sharing, we present a new method for elemental analysis. The method used is Thermo Scientific ™ Axia ™ ChemiSEM， Unlike traditional methods, it combines SEM images with elemental information using a new workflow and can be displayed in real-time.