3. Conclusion

Steelmaking involves complex steelmaking operations, carried out sequentially in a large number of tools, under extreme conditions and lined with refractory materials that are subjected to a wide range of stresses and strains.

Over 500 different refractory products are used in a steelworks to cope with the varied stresses placed on refractories by temperature, thermal cycling, atmosphere and corrosion.

The difficult but essential question is: how can we make the best technico-economic choices for refractories used in the steel industry?

Engineers and technicians confronted with these problems must not only know the details of the processes and metallurgical operations carried out in each tool and refractory ceramics, identify and assess the stresses to which refractories are subjected, but also understand the chemical...