Abstract
The compressive creep behavior of a typical 50% -/50% -alumina fusion-cast refractory block was examined as a function of temperature. Test temperatures (1450-1650oC) were chosen to correspond to those typical of service conditions, while relatively high compressive test stresses (0.6 and 1.0 MPa compared to 0.2-0.4 MPa which is typical of service) were chosen to promote exaggerated deformation and to more accurately measure the resulting creep strain. It was found that the measured creep strain responses in this alumina were a sum of (contracting) compressive creep strain and expansion strain due to time and temperature dependent microcracking. Long term, isothtermal expansion tests were also conducted, and their results allowed for the deconvolution of the compressive creep and expansion strains present in the measured creep strain test data. The analysis shows that despite complications associated with conflicting expansion and contraction effects, classical creep analysis may be used with this alumina refractory after the strains associated with the non-steady-state mechanism are considered and accounted for.
