Modified in situ spinel-alumina castables

Modified in situ spinel-alumina castables were prepared by using 8.0 wt.% of calcined hydrated magnesium aluminate additives synthesized via facile sol gel and coprecipitation routes. These additives were characterized byparticle size analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The castables prepared by them were compared in terms of bulk density, apparent porosity, cold crushing strength and spalling resistance to identify the excellent performance of the sol gel additive having nanocrystalline feature. The quality of castable was illustrated again by comparing it with the same prepared by commercially available spinel fines having well established performance. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, pore size distribution and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to examine selected fired samples. It appeared that the spinel-alumina castable prepared by the sol gel additive can be a potential candidate for application in steel plants.