Thermomechanical analysis of the solidification of fused cast alumina-zirconia-silica refractory blocks

Abstract Cooling history of fused cast Alumina-Zirconia-Silica (AZS) refractory blocks is recorded with thermocouples. Postmortem investigations are performed including hot tears. Discussion about solidification path is done with the purpose to better understand phenomena occurring during casting. Heat transfer simulations are compared with recorded temperature histories. Mechanical outputs from THERCAST® are analyzed, revealing the possibility to calibrate the risk of hot tears formation by considering a cumulated strain based criterion.