An Investigation on Refractory Clays Properties for Application in Metallurgical Industries in Nigeria

Abstract

With the present yearning towards industrialization of the nation which has seen the emergence of various metallurgical industries, the need for refractory materials therefore is no doubt of paramount importance and necessity. Items produced from refractoriness include firebricks, crucibles, chimneys and electric insulators etc. The results of the investigation carried out on the refractory properties of clay samples obtained from three different locations in Niger state of Nigeria are presented. The properties obtained include among others, refractories of about 1400oc, cold crushing strength (4.820-14.30MN/M2), bulk density (1.0-2.94g/CM3) and linear fine shrinkage (2.17-4.30%).