Thermomechanical testing of a laboratory pilot containing refractory masonries without mortar

Abstract

Some refractory linings that protect metallic vessels from the hot temperature of the products they contain are made of masonries that are built without mortar (dry joints). The joints between bricks allow a free expansion during the first part of the temperature increase, reducing the stresses in the masonries. To model the masonry behaviour, a solution is to replace the masonry by a homogeneous material that has an equivalent behaviour to that of the masonry. To validate this global approach, it is necessary to test the masonries in conditions close to those of an industrial vessel. A thermomechanical test was therefore performed on a laboratory pilot which represents a simplified steel ladle. It is made of a steel shell, a flat masonry in the bottom and a cylindrical masonry for the vertical wall. An internal temperature of 1000 °C was prescribed inside the pilot. Thermocouples were placed inside bricks and on the steel shell to determine the temperature field. Displacement sensors were used to determine the displacements of the bottom masonry, and strain gauges on the steel shell to determine the pilot deformation.

Keywords

• Laboratory pilot
• Thermomechanical measurements
• Masonry with dry joints
• Refractory materials