Effect of Silica on High-Temperature Interfacial Phenomena of Monolithic Refractories with Al Alloy

An experimental study was conducted to study the interfacial phenomena between monolithic refractories and Al alloy at 1250 °C. Dynamic contact angles of monolithic substrates with varying silica levels were measured using the sessile drop technique, while phases present in the preheated monolithic samples and interfacial reaction products were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The contact angles in the Al alloy/silica system were found to change much more rapidly as compared to that of the alloy/alumina system, clearly demonstrating the high wetting tendency of silica. Under the tested conditions, the corundum phase forms at the interface while Mg was found to vaporize from the alloy and accumulate at the bottom of the monolithic substrate. Both these phenomena are shown to influence the intensity of contact angle variations with time and, thereby, the wetting behavior of monolithic substrates. Based on dynamic contact angles and equilibrium calculations, monolithic refractories are further classified into three groups, such that the wetting characteristics of those with compositions in the ranges of 0 to 25 pct, 25 to 45 pct, and >45 pct silica were shown to be dictated by the presence of corundum, mullite, and free silica, respectively, as the predominant phase.