FIRE CLAY BRICK REFACTORY

Manufacturing Process
Manufacturing of refractory bricks from fire-clay is an interesting feature. The clay mined is stacked in the factory yard and allowed to weather for about a year. For daily production of different types of refractories, this weathered clay is taken and mixed in different percentages with grog.

The mixture is sent to the grinding mill from where it is transferred to the pug mill. In the pug mill a suitable proportion of water is added so as to give it proper plasticity. The mould is supplied to different machines for making standard bricks or shapes. Intricate shapes are made by hand. The bricks thus made are then dried in hot floor driers and after drying they are loaded in kilns for firing. The firing ranges are, of course, different for different grades of refractories. After firing, the kilns are allowed to cool; then the bricks are unloaded. By burning fireclay is converted into a stone-like material, highly resistant to acid, water and most other solutions. While manufacturing high aluminous fire-bricks bauxite is added along with grog in suitable proportions.

Industrial Applications
Because of the abundant supply of fireclay and its comparative cheapness, the refractory bricks made out of it are the most common and extensively used in all places of heat generation, like:

* in boiler furnaces
* glass melting furnaces
* chimney linings
* pottery kilnsblast furnaces
* reheating furnaces

They are used for instance for building cooking chamber in wood fired ovens, for creating fireplaces, all sorts of fire boxes and wood heaters’ lining, linings in a small or the hugest industrial furnaces, you name it.

Fireclay is classified under acid refractories. Acid refractories are those which are not attacked by acid slag. In blast furnaces, the lining is done almost entirely with fireclay bricks. Pouring refractories like sleeves, nozzles, stoppers and tuyers are made of fireclay.