Panel on Commercial Refractories in Severe Environments: Introduction

Abstract

Commercial refractories are represented broadly by a wide variety of materials, ranging from relatively simple compositions to highly complex multicomponent systems. Their behavior in severe environments is governed by the same basic chemical and physical principles as other materials. But the interaction of the many components with environments that are generally multifaceted presents a much more complex situation than for many other materials. The improvements that have been made in these materials involved not only materials research but iterative analyses involving raw material characterizations, processing effects, property tests, design and construction techniques, and careful interpretation of service failures. The dramatic progress in commercial refractory developments in the past 10–20 years has been made possible by this approach, and especially by the use of modem analylical tools and techniques and by close cooperation between users and suppliers.