NIPPON STEEL TECHNICAL REPORT No.

104 AUGUST 2013

UDC 666 . 763 / . 767 : 669 . 184 . 2

Progress and Perspective of Refractory Technology

Abstract
Efforts have been made to enhance refractory technology to support stable production of
high-quality steel at low costs. This is true especially in the field of steelmaking, where refrac-
tories are used heavily. The service life of MgO-C bricks for converters has been extended by
use of high-purity materials and new additives and the development of a low-graphite type
excellent in spalling resistance. For secondary refining vessels and molten steel ladles, mono-
lithic refractories have come to be used widely. In continuous casting, measures to prevent
the clogging of submerged entry nozzles (SENs) have been developed on the basis of a study
of its mechanisms, and anticorrosion material for the powder line of SEN has advanced. New
refractory repair methods suitable for different applications, combined with diagnosis sys-
tems, have been developed to enhance the quality and accuracy of repair work.

1. Introduction Mn, P, S, etc., in molten iron tapped from blast furnaces into the de-
Refractories are indispensable for steel production; they consti- sired steel chemistry, the operation temperature is as high as 1,600
tute essential part of the steel production process, and have signifi- to 1,700°C. Because the mixture of molten oxides (slag) that are
cant influence on the production costs. Refractory technology has formed during converter refining under oxygen blowing is basic, re-
developed together with steel production technology, supporting its fractories consisting of basic and high-meting-point oxides, namely
advance. The quantity of refractories used in steelmaking processes MgO and CaO, have long been used for the inner lining of converter
accounts for no less than two thirds, approximately, of the total used vessels.
for integrated iron and steel production. Therefore, to extend the In the 1960s and 1970s, dolomite refractories such as tar-bonded
service life of the inner lining of ladles and reaction vessels, stabi- dolomite bricks and baked magnesia-dolomite bricks were devel-
lize steel production, reduce costs, and improve product quality, it is oped and used, but they had shortcomings of rapid slaking during
necessary to adequately select the most suitable refractory according use and spalling due to high thermal expansion. As a solution to
to the use condition. In steelmaking processes, the characteristics of these problems and to obtain longer service life, dolomite-carbon
molten metal, slag chemistry, atmosphere, and temperature are bricks, and then in the 1980s, MgO-C bricks, were developed.1) The
widely varied at different parts of reaction vessels or ladles, and latter became widely applied to converters in the 1980s because
therefore, the functions required for refractories differ significantly. they were free from the slaking of dolomite, resistance to slag attack
Thus, the properties of refractories for different applications must be was greatly improved because of the composite structure of magne-
designed delicately in consideration of the use conditions. The pres- sia and graphite, and spalling resistance was markedly improved as
ent paper outlines the development and improvement of refractories graphite of low thermal expansion effectively absorbed the expan-
for the reaction vessels and ladles for steelmaking processes, and sion of magnesia. This means that MgO-C bricks represent an ep-
tries to prospect the future trends in the field. och-making technology in the history of refractories, wherein the
resistance to corrosion (dissolution of components into slag) and
2. Progress of Refractory Technology that to spalling, the long-standing and mutually opposing require-
2.1 Refractories for converters ments for refractories, were markedly improved at one stroke, one
(1) Historical change in converter refractories of the achievements that the refractory industry of Japan may justly
Since the role of a converter is to adjust the contents of C, Si, be proud of.

* General Manager, Ph.D, Refractory Ceramics Div., Plant Engineering and Facility Management Center
20-1 Shintomi, Futtsu, Chiba 293-8511

- 21 -
NIPPON STEEL TECHNICAL REPORT No. 104 AUGUST 2013

Various measures have been worked out since the 1990s to ex-
tend the service life of MgO-C bricks in response to the require-
ments for longer converter campaigns. Typical improvements in-
clude suppression of graphite oxidation during furnace operation by
addition of metallic Al, Al-Mg alloys, and borides such as B4C and
CaB6 and greater resistance to slag attack by purification and use of
coarse crystallized magnesia and purification and use of large grain
graphite.2-4)
(2) Orientation of future development of converter refractories
The orientation of future development of converter refractories
is outlined here in consideration of the business environment of the
steel industry and the requirement for longer service life.
Presently, most of the MgO-C bricks for converters in Japan are
Fig. 2 Out view of test brick surrounded by conventional bricks under
imported from China. Domestic bricks are used on the tapping-side operation
wall, etc., where the use condition is very tough and long service
life is required. In the meantime, the demand for Chinese graphite
for electronic applications has increased, and as a consequence, the nanoparticles was added. The bricks were laid at a wall position in-
price tends to go up, and depletion of high-quality graphite resourc- side the trunnion of a commercially operating converter. The devel-
es is being feared. On the other hand, heat loss through converter re- oped bricks proved superior in terms of durability to conventional
fractories and the shell has long been a problem, but no substantial high-graphite MgO-C bricks (containing 18 mass% graphite).9) Fur-
measures have been proposed to decrease it. ther tests of the new low-graphite bricks are being conducted, and
In consideration of these problems, emphasis will have to be the orientation for the development of the low-graphite MgO-C
placed on the following points in the development of converter re- bricks will be defined on the basis of the test results.
fractories: longer service life, decrease in graphite content, decrease 2.2 Refractories for secondary refining processes
in thermal conductivity, resource saving, and promotion of material Some of the steel refining functions that were conventionally
recycling. To meet these requirements, Nippon Steel Corporation carried out in converters or electric arc furnaces were separated and
has started the development of low-graphite MgO-C bricks. came to be performed as finishing refining steps after the tapping
The target in the development is to decrease the content of from those furnaces; these are called secondary refining processes.
graphite from conventional 15% - 20% to 10% or less. While ther- Vacuum degassing by the DH or RH method began in the 1950s for
mal conductivity naturally decreases when the graphite content is removing hydrogen gas from molten steel, and then VOD, AOD,
lowered to two-thirds or a half, what is important is to improve the and other secondary refining facilities were developed and used in-
corrosion resistance of MgO-C bricks even with the lower graphite dustrially. More recently, functions to blow in oxygen, argon, or flux
content, without sacrificing their excellent spalling resistance. For powder were added to secondary refining equipment for accelerat-
this, it is important to make the structure denser while maintaining ing decarburization, heating steel by burning aluminum, removing
the spalling resistance. Nippon Steel Corporation has aimed at im- sulfur, etc. As a result, the use condition of the refractories became
proving corrosion resistance by making the structure denser, namely increasingly severe. In contrast to other refining processes, refracto-
decreasing porosity, and at maintaining the spalling resistance, and ries for secondary refining must work stably under vacuum, since
has focused on carbon black nanoparticles as a promising materi- most secondary refining processes progress under such a condition.
al.5-8) For this reason, basic magnesia-chrome bricks have long been
Fig. 1 is a photomicrograph through a transmission electron mi- used for secondary refining facilities. Magnesia-chrome bricks are
croscope (TEM) of nanosized particles of carbon black used for new divided into three types according to the materials used: direct
bricks that the company is developing. Here many carbon black par- bonded bricks mainly made of magnesia and chromite and fired at a
ticles up to several tens of nanometers in size form a large aggre- high temperature; semirebonded bricks made likewise except that
gate. Fig. 2 is a photograph taken at an evaluation test of newly de- about 50% of fused magnesia-chrome (mixture of magnesia and
veloped low-graphite MgO-C bricks, to which a small amount of chromite, melted in an electric furnace) is added; and rebonded
bricks made only of magnesia and fused magnesia-chrome. Addi-
tionally, a new type of fired magnesia-chrome bricks with an addi-
tion of chromium oxide 10) was developed, aiming at higher corro-
sion resistance. All these varieties of magnesia-chrome bricks are
applied to different parts of secondary refining vessels according to
their characteristics.
The latest trends in this field have been elimination of chromi-
um; use of MgO-C bricks 11); and wider use of monolithic, or cast-
able, refractories. In 1996, Nippon Steel Corporation introduced the
microwave hot-air dryer and began to use castable refractories for
the lower RH treatment vessel at Oita Works as the first case in the
world.12) Kimitsu Works also expanded the application of castable
refractories actively, and began to use alumina-spinel castable and
alumina-magnesia gunning refractories for various applications.13) A
Fig. 1 TEM photomicrograph of carbon black nanoparticles method of repairing locally damaged wall areas in hot to extend ves-

- 22 -
 NIPPON STEEL TECHNICAL REPORT No. 104 AUGUST 2013

sel campaign life was applied to RH facilities. Typical repair meth- mum thermal stress of the latter is lower than that of the former,
ods using monolithic refractories include dry gunning to spray mag- which means that the latter is less prone to the risk of arching and
nesia, dolomite, etc., in hot; flame gunning; and injection repairing, cracking than the former.
whereby dummy cores are placed inside the lower vessel or a snor- As stated above, alumina-magnesia castable refractory has come
kel (immersion tube) and paste of alumina-magnesia refractory is to be used widely for steel ladles because it is more resistant to slag
pumped in. penetration and has lower thermal stress than alumina-spinel refrac-
Measures such as continual use of one lower vessel (instead of tory. Note that alumina-spinel castable refractory has become appli-
alternate use of two) and intensive heat retention of the vessel be- cable to steel ladles also because of shrinkage control during sinter-
tween treatment batches are taken to extend the campaign life of RH ing to decrease the risk of arching.
lower vessels.14) A snorkel is lined with bricks on the inner wall and Nippon Steel Corporation began to use castable refractories for
alumina-magnesia monolithic refractory on the outer, but deforma- molten steel ladles prior to other steelmakers, and now uses it for
tion of the steel core often causes cracks on the outer lining. Fog the entire walls and bottoms of the ladles, except the slag line ar-
cooling of the core was recently introduced, whereby water in mist eas.24) The company also developed castable basic refractory, and
10 µm or less in mean size is sprayed onto the hollow core surface with it, all the ladle inner surfaces including the slag line areas came
to suppress its deformation.10) The vessel campaign has been ex- to be lined with castable refractories.25)
tended to 1000 charges or more for different use conditions and re- To continue using alumina-magnesia castable refractory stably
pair methods, changes in operation conditions, structural changes of and for a long period, it is important to prevent the molten metal
steel cores/shells, etc. from penetrating into the refractory layer through cracks that may
2.3 Refractories for steel ladles form during the use.21, 26) Cracks develop in the refractory layer be-
Conventionally, the main lining material for molten steel ladles cause of its structural change during use. It is important, therefore,
was high-silicate bricks, but as the process route via secondary re- to establish technology for optimum material design to prevent the
fining and continuous casting became increasingly dominant in the structural change, on the basis of the evaluation of the sintering and
1960s and thereafter, the use condition of the ladles grew increas- creeping properties of the material at high temperatures.
ingly severe, and in response, high-silicate bricks were replaced by 2.4 Refractories for continuous casting 27)
zircon bricks.15) Then, against the backgrounds of wider use of cast- The development of refractory technology in the field of contin-
able refractories that began around 1970 for mechanizing refractory uous casting has mostly been related to the teeming system, or more
work and labor saving, and elimination of silica from refractories specifically, to submerged entry nozzles. Fig. 3 is a schematic sec-
for high-purity steel production, alumina-spinel castable refractory tional view of a common submerged entry nozzle.28) The number of
was developed in the late 1980s.16) charges of sequential casting is determined by the service life of
As the alumina-spinel castable refractory became the main lin- these nozzles, which is governed by two factors: clogging due to
ing material of the ladles, there arose the need for decreasing the use sticking of non-metallic inclusions (oxidizing products and tundish
of lining materials at intermediate repairs and increasing the interval slag) and skulls and local corrosion. These problems occur because
between major lining changes. When alumina-spinel castable refrac- the nozzles are made of carbon-containing refractory and are used in
tory is used for ladles, it wears at the wall portion because of struc- the molds. The measures studied and taken against these problems
tural spalling caused by slag penetration, as well as at the bottom are explained below in more detail.
portion because of the said structural spalling, arching, and cracking (1) Measures against sticking of inclusions
caused by expansion due to thermal stress in the lining.17-20) Alumi- The sticking of inclusions and skulls is considered to occur de-
na-magnesia castable refractory was developed as a measure against pending largely on factors related to the steel grade, such as too
the above wear of alumina-spinel castable refractory.21) small superheat and large temperature drop in the tundish, and
Alumina-magnesia castable refractory is significantly different therefore, it can be prevented effectively by operation improvement.
from alumina-spinel castable refractory in terms of the manner of Provision of heat-insulating slits on the nozzle side was proposed as
thermal expansion and thermal stress. According to the thermal ex- a countermeasure, but this has not been widely practiced.
pansion curve of alumina-magnesia castable refractory,22) it expands
rapidly in the temperature range above approximately 1,400°C,
mainly because of the formation of spinel accompanying volume
expansion. In contrast, according to the same of alumina-spinel cast-
able refractory,23) it does not exhibit such rapid expansion.
When applied to actual steel ladles, the refractory is restricted,
and the rapid expansion of alumina-magnesia castable refractory
that occurs on the working surface side serves to make the refractory
structure denser (smaller open pore diameter), thus preventing slag
from penetrating into the lining layer. Since such large volume ex-
pansion on the working surface side does not occur with alumina-
spinel castable refractory, the structure is not made denser and slag
penetration is not suppressed. For this reason, alumina-magnesia
castable refractory is more resistant to slag penetration and is less
prone to the wear caused by structural spalling than alumina-spinel
refractory.
In addition, the thermal stress curves of alumina-spinel and alu-
mina-magnesia castable refractories 20) clearly indicate that the maxi- Fig. 3 Schematic drawing of a submerged entry nozzle

- 23 -
NIPPON STEEL TECHNICAL REPORT No. 104 AUGUST 2013

A widely practiced measure is argon gas blowing through the (2) Measures against local corrosion 34)
upper nozzles or the very submerged entry nozzles; it has certain ef- Casting powder, or mold flux, is used in the molds of continuous
fects of preventing inclusions from sticking to the nozzles and hav- casters in order to protect molten steel against oxidation, catch in-
ing them float to the metal surface and get caught in the slag. clusions, prevent the solidification shell from sticking to the mold,
Various measures have been tried to improve the quality of the and homogenize the heat transfer from the steel to the mold. The
material for the inner liner of the molten steel duct. Such attempts powder, however, corrodes the portions of submerged entry nozzles
include measures to prevent the sticking of inclusions by rectifying at the meniscus to determine the service life of the nozzles.35) For
uneven steel flow in the nozzle caused by the sliding nozzle. There this reason, a zirconia-graphite (ZG) refractory, more resistant to
was a proposal to form steps on the surface of the inner liner and corrosion than the AG refractory, is used for the nozzle portion con-
another to form skewed fins on the duct wall to give twist to the tacting the powder (powder line). Improving the corrosion resistance
steel flow.29) of the ZG refractory is also effective at extending the service life of
Usually, submerged entry nozzles are made of alumina silica and submerged entry nozzles.
graphite (hereinafter AG, refractory following the Japanese conven- It has been considered that, when the ZG refractory is in contact
tion), which has been prone to the sticking of inclusions since the with the powder, ZrO2 grains in the aggregate are destabilized and
1970s when it began to be used for the application. The reason for disintegrate into smaller particles. This is a phenomenon peculiar to
this is as follows: during use, silica in the AG refractory reacts with ZrO2 grains, and the fusion of the ZG refractory advances as the fine
carbon of the graphite and in the resin of the binder and forms prod- ZrO2 particles dissolve in the molten powder. Looking for measures
ucts in gas. This leads to oxidation of sol-Al in steel into alumina, to extend the service life of the ZG refractory in view of the above,
and the reaction products in gas diffuse into molten steel to form effects of the grain size of ZrO2 aggregates,36, 37) ZrO2 content in the
concentration gradients in the laminar flow layer along the inner refractory,38) chemical stability of ZrO2,39) purity of graphite,40) ap-
nozzle surface, which makes it easy for inclusions to stick to the parent porosity,41) etc., over the destabilization of ZrO2 and fining of
nozzle surface. This indicates that the cause of the sticking of inclu- its grains have been studied.
sions lies in the very AG refractory. Therefore, another sticking pre- However, it is likely that the composition of the mold powder,
vention measure is to change the material of the inner liner from the especially its basicity, also exerts significant influence over the de-
AG refractory to another that does not cause cause sticking easily. stabilization of ZrO2 and the fining of its grains.42) On the other
Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the mechanism by which inclusions hand, fine ZrO2 grains serve as a barrier at the powder-line surface
stick to the inner liner of the AG refractory.30) to suppress the nozzle corrosion.43) Therefore, to further extend the
Spoken roughly, there are two types of materials not prone to service life of the ZG refractory, it will be important to investigate
sticking. One is a carbon-free material 30); since C and SiO2 do not how it changes dynamically under the influence of the powder in
coexist in it, they do not react with each other to form products in consideration of the powder chemistry.
gas. Such a material is actually used at Yawata Works for the inner 2.5 Repair and diagnosis technologies
liner. The other is a material that forms a liquid phase on the inner Refractory repair work is done either online in hot or offline in
liner surface, making it wettable with molten metal, so as to de- cold. Hot repair is conducted by methods such as gunning, injection,
crease the adhesive force of inclusions onto the nozzle surface. A re- filling and baking, and slag coating, and cold repair is conducted by
fractory containing zirconia, lime stone, and carbon (called ZCG) is methods such as gunning, patching, replacing, replenishing, and
used for application at Kimitsu.31) A refractory consisting of dolo- trowelling. Of these, remarkable advances have been made in the
mite and graphite (DG) and another consisting of dolomite 32) have field of gunning. Nippon Steel Corporation has developed a variety
been proposed for the same use. The electromagnetic nozzle 33) re- of refractory gunning methods for stable operation of furnaces and
ported recently is another attempt to improve the wettability of the vessels as well as for cutting refractory costs.
inner nozzle surface. Questions remain about the effectiveness of Dry gunning has been practiced since long; the method consists
these refractories not prone to inclusion sticking: applicability to of conveying refractory powder to a blowing nozzle using air flow,
different steel grades and the durability of the effect. Considering mixing it with water at the nozzle tip, and projecting it to the refrac-
the adverse effects of the sticking of inclusions over casting opera- tory surface for repair. This method is simple, but the refractory lay-
tion, further efforts will be made to devise other measures to prevent er thus formed is porous and lasts only a short period. As an im-
it. provement, wet gunning became popular in the late 1990s and
thereafter. The shotcrete method,44) whereby premixed paste of re-
fractory powder is pumped to a nozzle and gunned with compressed
air, can form refractory layers denser than those by dry gunning, and
is applied to the repair work of various furnaces and vessels. The ro-
tary shot method,45) through which the refractory powder paste is
projected centrifugally by a rotating machine, can handle refractory
paste containing less water than that by shotcrete, and the deposited
layer is yet denser. Another advantage of the rotary shot is that it can
handle greater amount of refractory per unit time, and requires less
labor.
The above wet gunning methods can deposit dense and durable
refractory layers, but they are unsuitable for hot repair for fear of
explosion of projected paste. Another disadvantage is that since the
projected material is kneaded, the equipment has to be washed and
Fig. 4 Adhesion mechanism of alumina inclusions cleaned after each use, which takes time and labor. Two hot gunning

- 24 -
 NIPPON STEEL TECHNICAL REPORT No. 104 AUGUST 2013
27) Ikemoto, T.: Carbon-containing Refractories. 1st Edition. Okayama,
methods were developed to obtain durable refractory layers by sim-
Okayama Ceramics Research Foundation, 2006, p. 156
ple operation: the “mist injection shot” method 46)—whereby the re- 28) Sugita, K.: Refractories for Iron- and Steelmaking ― A History of Battle
fractory powder is conveyed to a blowing nozzle by air flow, mixed over High Temperature. 1st Edition. Tokyo, Chijinshokan Co., Ltd.,
with water mist in the nozzle, and sprayed—and the “hot quick mix- 1995, p. 302
ing injection & mist injection” (H-QMI) method 47)—whereby the 29) Hiroki, N. et al.: Shinagawa Technical Report. 36, 75 (1993)
30) Matsui, T. et al.: Taikabutsu. 49 (2), 64 (1997)
refractory powder is conveyed to a blowing nozzle using air flow 31) Tanaka, K. et al.: CAMP-ISIJ. 4 (1), 220 (1991)
and continuously mixed and gunned. The former is simpler to oper- 32) Ogata, K. et al.: Krosaki Harima Technical Report. 152, 24 (2004)
ate and applied to the repair of the well blocks of ladles and snorkels 33) Sato, Y. et al.: Proc. UNITECR2011 Congress. Kyoto, Japan, 2011-11,
of degassers. The latter, on the other hand, is capable of forming 2-A-14
34) Morikawa, K.: Carbon-containing Refractories. 1st Edition. Okayama,
more durable refractory layers and applied to converters and steel
Okayama Ceramics Research Foundation, Okayama, 2006, p. 130
ladles. 35) Mukai, K. et al.: Taikabutsu. 42 (12), 710 (1990)
Repair work is effective, efficient, and economical only when 36) Hayashi, Y. et al.: Taikabutsu. 42 (11), 668 (1990)
conducted on the basis of correct evaluation and diagnosis of refrac- 37) Uchida, K. et al.: Taikabutsu. 53 (5), 274 (2001)
tory wear. Evaluation of refractory wear used to rely on human eyes, 38) Ichikawa, K. et al.: Taikabutsu. 41 (11), 644 (1989)
39) Takeshita, S. et al.: CAMP-ISIJ. 1 (4), 1101 (1988)
but use of profile meters enabled quantitative damage evaluation 40) Daimon, M. et al.: Taikabutsu. 41 (11), 645 (1989)
and effective repair. Laser profile meters made it possible to accu- 41) Yoshitsugu, D. et al.: Taikabutsu. 57 (3), 124 (2005)
rately detect local damage of ladle lining, etc., and hot gunning at 42) Endoh, R. et al.: Taikabutsu. 63 (3), 123 (2011)
the position extended the service life of the lining and reduced the 43) Ikemoto, T. et al.: Taikabutsu. 51 (11), 588 (1999)
44) Kugimiya, M. et al.: Taikabutsu. 51 (11), 599 (1999)
amount of the refractory used.48) A combined system of damage di-
45) Imagawa, H. et al.: Shinnittetsu Giho. (388), 87 (2008)
agnosis devices and flame gunning facilities capable of forming du- 46) Matsui, T. et al.: CAMP-ISIJ. 24, 147 (2011)
rable refractory layers was developed, applied to coke ovens, and 47) Hanagiri, S. et al.: Taikabutsu. 64 (3), 120 (2012)
proved effective at extending the oven life.49) 48) Shimpo, A. et al.: Taikabutsu. 61 (3), 143 (2009)
49) Sakaida, M. et al.: Shinnittetsu Giho. (384), 63 (2006)
3. Closing
Steelmaking processes have changed continuously, and so have
refractories to support the changes. The technologies of the material,
structure, laying and application, diagnosis, and repair of refractory
that compose the whole refractory technology must be further
brushed up so as to help establish revolutionary steel producing pro-
cesses. Refractories are also expected to continue to be instrumental
in heat insulation for energy saving and cutting CO2 emission, as Kiyoshi GOTO
well as recycling for resource conservation. General Manager, Ph.D
Refractory Ceramics Div.
References Plant Engineering and Facility Management Center
1) Takanaga, S. et al.: Ceramics Japan. 35 (8), 613 (2000) 20-1 Shintomi, Futtsu, Chiba 293-8511
2) Watanabe, A. et al.: Taikabutsu (J. of Tech. Ass. of Refractories, Japan).
38 (11), 740 (1986)
3) Kurata, K. et al.: Taikabutsu. 41 (11), 534 (1989) Seiji HANAGIRI
4) Hanagiri, S. et al.: Taikabutsu. 43 (11), 627 (1991) Department Manager
5) Tamura, S. et al.: Proc. UNITECR2003 Congress. Osaka, Japan, 2003- Refractory Ceramics Div.
10, p. 517 Plant Engineering and Facility Management Center
6) Takanaga, S. et al.: Proc. UNITECR2003 Congress. Osaka, Japan, 2003-
10, p. 521
7) Tamura, S. et al.: Shinnittetsu Giho. (388), 18 (2008)
8) Tamura, S. et al.: Taikabutsu Overseas. 30 (4), 275 (2010) Kohji KOHNO
9) Tanaka, M. et al.: Proc. UNITECR2011 Congress. Kyoto, Japan, 2011- Manager
11, 2-E-18 Refractory Ceramics Div.
10) Kamo, M. et al.: Taikabutsu. 50 (2), 84 (1998)
11) Kiryu, Y. et al.: Taikabutsu. 39 (2), 33 (1987) Plant Engineering and Facility Management Center
12) Sukenari, S. et al.: CAMP-ISIJ. 11 (1), 173 (1998)
13) Itoh, S. et al.: Shinnittetsu Giho. (388), 62 (2008)
14) Yamamoto, S. et al.: Taikabutsu. 56 (2), 90 (2004) Tsuyoshi MATSUI
15) Sugita, K.: Refractories for Iron- and Steelmaking ― A History of Battle
over High Temperature. 1st Edition. Tokyo, Chijinshokan Co., Ltd., Senior Researcher, Dr.Eng.
1995, p. 272 Refractory Ceramics Div.
16) Nagai, B. et al.: Taikabutsu. 42 (8), 418 (1990) Plant Engineering and Facility Management Center
17) Iida, A. et al.: Taikabutsu. 53 (3), 116 (2001)
18) Katoh, H. et al.: Taikabutsu. 48 (3), 142 (1996)
19) Furuta, K. et al.: Taikabutsu. 48 (8), 404 (1996)
20) Ishikawa, M. et al.: Taikabutsu. 51 (3), 144 (1999) Tadashi IKEMOTO
21) Hoteiya, M. et al.: Taikabutsu. 48 (11), 611 (1996) Senior Researcher, Dr.Eng.
22) Nagai, B. et al.: Taikabutsu. 40 (5), 284 (1988) Refractory Ceramics Div.
23) Yamamura, T. et al.: Taikabutsu. 43 (12), 676 (1991)
24) Kurata, K. et al.: Taikabutsu. 43 (4), 175 (1991)
Plant Engineering and Facility Management Center
25) Yaoi, H. et al.: CAMP-ISIJ. 5 (1), 248 (1992)
26) Kanaya, S. et al.: Taikabutsu. 48 (11), 586 (1991)

- 25 -