101 WAYS TO CARE FOR YOUR FURNACE LININGS By: Mrs. Almitra H. Patel B.S. (Gen. Engg.) & MSS. (Ceramics), M-LT. (U.S.A.) DAKA COMPANY CERAMICS & CHEMPLAST P LTD MFRS: INDUCTION FURNACE LININGS. & CERAMIC FORMULATIONS c/o BHARAT TILES 32 8. SAMACHAR MARG OPP. ALLAHABAD BANK BOMBAY 400 023 Office: Phone : (022)-274837 274965 270826 Grams: DAKAMASS Bombay-23 Factory: Phone: 591619, 509010A really good monolithic lining requires extraordinary care by the manufacturer, in selection, purity and grading of raw materi- als, uniformity of mixing and careful packing. Maintaining this quality to achieve a perfect wet or dry lining requires equal care from you, the user, from the moment any ramming mass reaches your factory until the first metal is poured. L AT STORES : Maintain sufficient inventory so that quality lining materials are available at all times. Before you receive the ramming mass, set aside a clean, permanently dry area in Stores, away frém coal dust, cement, boric acid, furnace additives etc. which are harmful to lining life if they accidentally spill on the ramming mass bags and get into the lining. Sweep the area thoroughly and lay down some ‘wooden supports to keep bags away from damp floor. When unloading the ramming mass, first dust off the load in the truck. Make sure the unloaders use NO HOOKS ! Keep spare gunnies and plastic liners ready to re-bag torn bags. If possible, use compressed air to blow off wood splinters etc. from each bag before stacking. Then cover the stack care- fully with a sound tarpaulin or heavy Plastic. Use on a first-in-first-out basis, keeping newspaper or a marker between different lots. Keep supplies from different suppliers in different stacks, as they may require different levels of binder and the melting shop should be sure what it is getting. This is very essential for effective follow-up of lining complaints if they arise. When issuing material, air-clean or dust off the bags before sending them out. Clean the handcart/wheelbarrow/ pallet too, before loading. Send a slip with the Supplier's name and your Order Number or date of receipt along with the bags. Send different lots in two separate trips. This is very essen- 5. i 10. tial for effe’ complaints if INSPECTION : Open one or two bags fully without damaging plaszic liner. tive follow-up of lining y arise. Check visually that grain size, colour and appearance are similar to earlier lots from ths: supplier. Watch out for organic impurities or mica (micror- like flakes) or felspar (white or pink grains with flattish facets having a pearly vitreous shine). These will lower the sintering temperature and refractoriness of the lining. Use a mag- Ret to spot-creck for iron particles. Plunge your arm into the bag. The mass should not fee. damp. If it is, or if bags ate wet on the outside, consult melting shop about drying procedure, in advance, before rammirg. Close plastic 3ag tightly and re-stitch outer bag without tearing the liner. SAMPLING : If a sample is to be drawn for labo- Fatory inspection, IT MUST BE A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE ! Empty an ENTIRE BAG on a clean plastic sheet and proceed by "QUARTERING" : divide the hezs of ramming mass into four approximately equal quarters. Take two diagonally opposite. quarters of heap, mix them and divide this ‘heap into quarters again. Repeat this six or seven times till you get a sample small enough to send to the lab. in an airtight package. TESTING : Test for Moisvure if sample is wet or arrived during monsoon. Dry mixes should have not more than 0.5% moist- ure, though upto 2% is acceptable. On drying before mixing and ramming, the moisture should be reduced to below 0.5%. Test for Buk Density, the most important property affecting lining life. Fill, say, 300 gm well-mixed ramming- ‘FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY “70 023 = (022) 274837 C) 274965ML 12. mass {without binder) into a 200 ml glass measuring cylinder. Loose Bulk Density (weight/volume) will be around 1.7 gm/ce for dry silica or 2 - 2.7 gm/cc for dry basic masses. Then try to compress the contents as much as possible, either by 50 proddings with a thin rod.or by tapping the cylin- der 50 times on your hand or a wooden table. This Packed Bulk Density should be close to 2 gm/cc for silica mixes, or 25 to 3.2 2 gmice (depending upon ingredients used) for basic to neutral mixes; the higher the better. If you get a batch with density lower than 90% ‘of your previous average readings, check another bag and then inform your supplier. In a Sieve Analysis, the Absolute Values of the sieve analysis are Not Important. Any number of different gradings, in which smaller grains fill the spaces between larger grains, can all give a good dense-packing mass, which is the main requirement. If you wish, check the sieve analysis of a properly quartered sample on, say, 0.6 mm (30 mesh) and 0.1 mm (150 mesh) screens. Keep a record and look for wide variations + 20% of previous average of the same supplier, or for excessive coarse (more than 5% over- size particles by weight). Furnaces upto 8 tonnes should have 0 - 4 mm or 5 mm dia. particles. Larger furnaces éan have 0 - 7 mm grain size mixes. Testing for silica content is rarely worth the effort, except for checking on a new supplier. Wet chemical analysis of SiO2 above 98% is extra- ordinarily difficult to do accurately, even for very experienced chemists. The purity of silica is perhaps more important than the mineralogical form of silica used. For the same silica content, fine-grained quartzites are preferable to coarse-grained quartz. But melting-point drops steeply, from 1730°C for 100% pure silica to 1590°C or less for 95% pure silica. Be 14. 15. Indian quartzites of very high purity are not available, so suppliers must make their own compromises between crystal size and purity when selecting raw material. So performance in operation is the best criterion for comparing different silica monolithics, The best possible test for a doubtful batch or new supplier's _ product is to use one or two bags from a new lot for ramming the top or spout of a furnace lined with earlier proven material, or for the last patching in a campaign. That way, if any problem shows up in use, you will have adequate stocks of earlier supplies and enough time to find a solution. SELECTING A LINING MATERIAL : Silica linings are most economical for melting iron, many common stainless steels and oxygen-free copper-based non-ferrous metals. Fireclay or cha- motte linings are best for aluminium. Basic linings withstand steel-melting and special stainless slags best, but crack and fail if there are power fail- ures during operation, because there is high expansion-contraction even at higher temperatures when metals are liquid. They also cost 2 - 4 times more than silica linings. Silica linings can to some extent be designed for longer life. Daka Company offers special long-life blends for special applications, e.g. for melting malleable iron. Though more expensive than the standard product, the economics of operation are very attractive, e.g. for melting malleable iron. AT THE MIXING AREA : Sweep, dust and clean the floor, weigh- scales, drying and mixing trays or mixer, etc, before you send for material from Stores. If using charcoal for preheating the ramming mix, arrange the bed and then get the rest of it well out of the way. Dust off each bag again at the entrance FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY 400 023 (022) 274897 () 27496516. 17. 18. 19. before taking it in. dropped to the ground en-route, ‘or Stores personnel may have been away when material was collected. Bags may have Keep a dustbin handy to collect pieces of cut string after the bags are opened, or they may end up in the lining. PREMIXED MONOLITHICS : Basic ramming mixes can usually be used as supplied. Some suppliers, like Daka Company, supply silica ramming mixes on request, premixed with a standardised quantity (1.5%) of Boric Acid binder, or to order as requested by large customers. This ensures great uniformity of mixing, but it must be stored in perfectly ery conditions. Also, no other ramming mass without boric acid should be in stock, lest workers add extra binder by mistake to the premixed monolithic. DRY MIXING : Plain silica ramming masses need addi tion of commercial grade boric acid powder in the melting shop before use. A minimum of 0.8% is usual for very high tapping temperatures (eg. steel melting) and a maximum of 2% boric acid for cast iron or non-ferrous melts. Purer ramming mixes \ need slightly (0.1% to 0.2%) more binder than impure mixes. Boron oxide is sometimes used instead of boric acid for faster sintering cycles. But since only half as much is needed, uniform mixing becomes twice as critical $ As far as possible, use the same percentage binder throughout a lining to avoid confusion and possible error If lumpy, sieve the boric acid through a 1 mm screen before weighing and keep the weighed lots in closed plastic bags- Plan to mix between 30 kg and 250 kg ramming mix at a time, depending 2. 2. 23. on furnace size and mixer or mixing- tay capacity. This means a boric acid package of between 500 gm and 3 kg. weighing accuracy should be + 5%, so use suitably small scales and check for zero-error before you start weighing. (Keep suitable check-weight handy for frequent use). Weigh the ramming mass bags before use. To keep out dust while emptying into drying tray, fold the inner plastic liner down over the outer woven bag, like a folded sock. Remove outer gunny before “shaking the inner bag empty. Emptying through a 12 mm (1/2") screen will remove string or paper bits etc. NEVER USE PART OF A BAG - you may leave behind either coarse or fines segregated in transit and get a non-uniform lining. Material in’ the drying tray should form a 30 - 60 mm layer for convenient drying and mixing. Demagnetise the material in the tray (after levelling and picking out visible impurities) by raking with a one-foot strip of wood with severa! ordinary magnets fixed to it. Remove what you can in 3 - 4 rakings. Only iron particles above 1-2 mm can cause erosion pockets in linings. Fine iron dust is difficult to remove and generally harmless, but if excessive it will increase the fluidity of the binder and hence the thickness of the hard-sintered zone, leading even- tually to a shortened lining life. Use SEPARATE TRAYS for heating/ drying and for mixing. Heat the drying tray with gas, if available. When using oil burners or charcoal, beware of spill- ages that can contaminate the ramming mass, bags or containers. Aim for drying temperatures of 70°C if binder is premixed, otherwise 110°C or so. Stir the ramming mass occasionally while heating. If it is noticeably damp FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATESIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY £00 023 = (022) 274897 C1 27496525. 26. (powder sticking to your dry palm after holding = fistful) it will require a couple of hours for proper drying out. If drying is insufficient, the steam formed on sintering will open up crack-forming passages in the lining. Then transfer it to a cooling tray before mixing (in that same tray or in a mixer). Cool the ramming mass till you can count to ten with your palm press~ ed agains: its surface. Demagnetise and heat a second batch while the first is cooling. Boric acid loses its first molecule of water at 80°C. If boric acid is added while the ramming mass is too hot, it will melt to form little glosules and cannot be distri- buted uniformly. This may show up as pinhole defects in the lining surface. Make a PREMIX with the boric acid by doublizg and redoubling : In a basin mix thorcughly by hand the required boric aci¢ ‘with an equal quantity (say 1 kg) of dried ramming mass. To this mix add an equal quantity (2 kg) of ramming mass and mix again by hand. Repeat once or twice more (e.g. 1+ 1 = 2,422 4% + & = 8 kg of Premix). This unife-mly diluted lot may then be mixed with the remainder of the batch, zreferably by doubling and redoubling as above, or by sprinkling the Prem:x on the rest of the batch and turtng or raking. DO NOT SPRINKL= UNDILUTED BORIC ACID = its volume is. too small ity. Even if = mechanical mixer is used, add the toric acid in a diluted Premix as above for more uniform distribution. CHECK YOUR MIXING PRACTICE for uniformity once in two months, or whenever a new workman is doing the mixing, o- for the first five linings in the case SINTERING : Furances should be heated SLOWLY upto 800°C at 100°C per hour for smaller furnaces upto 6 tons, or 50°C per hour for larger furnaces with thicker lining walls. For acid linings, HOLD at 600° to 300°C (for 15 minutes per cm of wall thickness) to allow deeper layers to heat up arid expand BEFORE the surface layers begin to sinter. Boric acid is fluid enough at 500°C to begin reacting with silica. (Ceramic ie. clay binders begin to sinter at 120°C). Then heat to tapping temperature or 1500°C (whichever is higher) again at 50° - 100°C per hour and hold for an hour. For acid linings, this fritting heat should take at least 2 1/2 to 3 times as long as a normal melting- cycle. If re-usable formers are used, the furnace needs tobe. cooled after heating to about(600°C,) the tapered former removed very gently, and carefully replaced with a disposable undersize former which can draw induction current and contain the sintering charge. The refractory may need redesigning with additional low temperature binder to provide sufficient green strength for this. For basic linings, slow heating is req- uired from 800° or 900°C to 1150°C : thé slow rise in this temperature range should take as long as one complete normal -melt. Thereafter, heating can be speeded up, with the tempe- rature held at tapping temperature for 15 minutes or so. Superheating is not required unless tapping tempe- ratures are comparatively low. Temperature can chromel-alumel be monitored by thermocouples and FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY 400 023 s (022) 274897 227496581. 82. 83. in the higher range, pyrometers. These should be periodically checked and calibrated with a master instrument. SINTERING WITH HOT METAL : Liquid metal from a cupola or other melting unit is often available for the sintering heat. This is desirable. as the metal will be clean and free of slag. But it should not be added until the charge or former are cherry- ted and begin to soften. Liquid metal should never be added to a cold furnace, because residual moisture and/or water of crystalli- sation in the boric acid could explode as steam. After a weekly shutdown or a cold start, liquid metal should never enter any furnace until it has been heated to 800°- 1000°C by other means! Otherwise, liquid metal will penetrate the inevitable cooling cracks in the lining before they have had time to expand and seal up again. For the same reason, turnings or borings should never be charged into a cold furnace. MELTING : The surface of a monolithic lining is always hotter than the deeper layers, so the fritted or sintered zone grows very slowly inward from the hot face. This is a time-temperature reaction and cannot and must not be speeded up. So for both acid and basic linings, the furnace should never be cooled below 1000 C for the first four days! By that time, the sintered skin will be thick enough to withstand the stresses produced by cooling shrinkage without spalling. Mf melting is not continuous, the furnace must be kept hot. by sealing the openings, after charging a red-hot starting block or returns, if possible, but keeping the cooling water circu- lating in the case of induction furnaces. 85. 86. 87. Again, for the sintering heat as well as the first few heats of anew lining or patching, the charge materials should be as clean as possible. Other- wise, slag formation and chemical erosion will remove the newly sintered skin as fast as it is formed and give a very vulnerable lining with short life. ENERGY CONSUMPTION : It is enormously worth-while to have @ separate energy meter for each separate furnace shell (especially where they alternately share @ common power panel) so that the Kwh per ton can be calculated for each lining campaign. This helps fine-tune the choice of charge materia! and melting practices to economical levels, and also shows immediately if lining wear is the result of unnecessary holding of hot metal in the furnace and/or inadvertent superheating. LINING WEAR : The erosion of linings must be periodi- cally monitored. For checking bottom wear, a marked depth gauge is used. For measuring wear on vertical sides, a wire plumb-line hung over the edge from the top is a useful reference mark. For smaller furnaces, jarge inside calipers can be used. Measure- ments must be taken at three or four points on the diameter, at three or four different height leveis 10 -20 cm apart and plotted to scale on an outline drawing (vertical section) of the original lining. Linings should be patched or replaced when one-third to one-half the lining thickness has eroded, or electrical signals give danger warnings or phase imbalance in operation, or when earlier breakouts after equivalent prolonged use show that there is no powdery material against the coil side of the lining to protect against run-throughs. FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY 400 023 @ (022) 274897 D 27496539. PATCHING : If more than one-third of the lining thickness has worn away, repeated patchings can extend the lining life, especially in steel-melting, until just before the entire lining is sintered through and through. "Slag _ should be minimised by superheating the last heat with higher stirring, or removed from the surface immediately while it is still soft, ie. with the furnace as hot as possible. Bottom patching is not usually required but can be done hot, by throwing pre-mixed ramming mix (with 10% more binder than. usual) onto a clean hot bottom. The corner and lowest portion of the side walls of coreless furnaces are much more likely to be eroded, in typical “elephant foot" wear, by superheating and more violent stirring when metal is at a low heel, or by low carbon steel melts. The furnace should preferably be cooled before patching and the surface layers of slag chipped off gently, holding the chisel or air hammer parallel to the lining surface, NOT at right angles to it. Experienced operators can do hot-patching if slag build-up is minimal and not so fluid that it will melt and run through, invisibly, behind the new patch. For patching, an open-ended short cylindrical former, with the diameter of the original "former bottom, is centrally placed, and rammed with a mix containing 10% more binder than usual. The height of this half-former is very important! Its top edge should be sufficiently below the level at which the furnace diameter narrows again, so that there is enough space for good use of ramming tools to achieve as good compaction in the patch as in the original lining. Keep two or three heights of half formers FOR RELIABLE INOUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY 400 023 # (022) 274837 ©) 274965, a1. 92. 93. 95. ready, to match the particular wear height before a patch. The melting cycle for a patched furance should ideally be at least half as long as the original sintering cycle. For wet patching, in addition, slow and careful drying is a must. BREAK-OUT : When a lining eventually wears out and must be broken, it can tell you more than anything else about how to extend lining life in future campaigns. So a responsible person should always be present at such “post-mortems" : to observe, take notes and draw intelligent conclusions. Face-masks for workers are _ most important during breakout. Start by chiselling four or more vertical grooves through the full lining depth from top to bottom, holding the chisel vertical to avoid puncturing the coil. Starting from the top, pry off the lining in sections. Progressively observe, measure and record the depth (thick- ness) of the three main zones : (i) fully sintered or glassy with a dark zone and a few large particles of refractory still visible, (ii) a fully sintered middle zone with all particles clearly visible (as. in a sugar cube), and (iii) an unsintered zone near the asbestos, which should fall apart like powder ‘or from which you can rub grains ‘off the surface by heavy thumb pressure. Especially when linings have to be broken prematurely, make use of the opportunity to note the thickness ‘of different zones. For each level of binder used, plot a separate graph of sinter zone depth vs number of heats {and/or days of use). Over a period of time, this will give you a clear idea of the normal progress of sintering in your particular Case, and help you to optimise, improveFE iets see cee 97. and modify your binder percentage, sintering cycle and melting practices to get the best lining life. Maintain a “Dictionary of Defects", correlating the appearance of the broken lining (vertical or horizontal cracks, metal penetration, inclusions, pockets of erosion etc) with possible causes and remedies, so that some of these can be avoided. Such a trouble-shooting manual, listing thirty-odd common defects with causes and remedies, has. been published by DAKA COMPANY, 32 B. S. Marg, Bombay 23, titled “Track Down Your Furnace Lining Problems". Add your own to keep it up-to-date. With experience, you will really be able to utilise the full potential of your monolithic linings. RECORD-KEEPING : Prepare complete Works Instructions for all aspects of lining, namely mixing, placing, ramming, sintering, patching, breakout and especially for furnace operation, i.e. routine melting practices, including proportions and specifications or descriptions of materials charged. Make sure these Works are always accessible staff and workers. Instructions to operating Keep them up-to-date. Once some experimental change becomes perma- nent, revise the Works Instructions with’ a paragraph number and a new page, and reasons for the change. Review at least twice a year : Have all concerned personnel read through the instructions and invite cominents or revisions. Make this a formal event or it will never get done. (This is well worth doing in all foundry departments). For routine record-keeping of furnace performance, GRAPHS are far more informative and meaningful than numbers in a log-book. Plot curves of Current drawn by a particular furnace shell vs. Number of Heats, for instance. Once you have a half-dozen curves, trace them all onto one tracing paper and draw one smooth common curve through them. This will be your own personal Average or Target Curve, based on your own particular ‘operating conditions and practice. Draw this onto a graph paper and cyclostyle it for daily use. While the furnace is in operation, plot your current readings every 5 or 10 heats alongside the Target Curve for compari- son. Deviations and potential deviations show up very clearly on a graph, rather than as a mass of numbers, and immediate corrective action is possible. 99. Similarly collect data and plot graphs regularly for different Process vari- ables like + Lining Life vs Average Hours per Heat Ys Average Heats per month vs Heel level Xs Botle Acid Percentage Ws Coke/Carburiser Quality vs Metal Composition . \s Tapping Temoarature Over a period of time, these willy highlight ‘the correct way of doing things. 100. Also keep a running Graph of Process Efficiencies, plotted after every cam- paign, such as: Kg Metal Meted per Kg Remming Mass/ Refractory Consumed Kg" "pet Unit of Energy Consumed These graphs are more useful than Costing figures, such as value of metal melted per Rupee of Energy consumed, since these prices may fluctuate. Such graphs will enable you to establish norms for different process variables, FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY 400 023 a (022) 274637 [] 274965understand your particular operations REFERENCES: more thoroughly, and aim for real improvements. in process efficiencies which will ultimately improve your market strength. 1. BCIRA : MANUAL ON REFRACTORIES FOR CORELESS INDUCTION FURNACES IN IRON FOUND- RIES, 1979. A SECRET : 2 Plibrico Japan Co Ltd. Tokyo 108: 101.Strive for a pleasant, consistent TECHNOLOGY OF MONOLITHIC and systematic working climate in REFRACTORIES, 1984. the plant. It will not only make everyone happier, but will really 3. W. Fischer : CORELESS INDUCTION give longer lining life and cheaper FURNACE LINING PRACTICE IN metal at spout ‘than conditions in EUROPE AND USA. - which everyone is constantly “fir fighting” ---- coping with crises, 4. Hindustan Brown Boveri Ltd. : handling emergencies, under pressure INSTRUCTIONS FOR LINING OF to keep -with constantly changing INDUCTION CRUCIBLE FURNACES, jsmands or disorganised habits in 1973. See casting-shop or quality and supply of charge. These require uncontrolled 5. Svenska Forshammar AB = on-the-spot changes in melting prac- COMPACTION OF INDUCTION tices, and predictable lining life is FURNACE WITH NETTER VIBRATORY hard to achieve under these conditions. CROSS AND TURBINE VIBRATOR, 1986. Daka Company, Bombay 23 : SINTERING BEHAVIOUR OF SILICA. 7. Daka Company, Bombay 23 : So plan, organise, and relax as you TRACK DOWN YOUR FURNACE tap out your profits. : LINING PROBLEMS. PRESENTED AT THE TWO-DAY SEMINAR ON : INDUCTION FURNACES : 11 F BARODA CHAPTER, OCTOBER, 5/6-1987. FOR RELIABLE INDUCTION FURNACE LINING MATERIALS : DAKA COMPANY BOMBAY 400 025 a (022) 274897 C) 274965 A: