Manufacturing and Mechanical Characterization of Fly-Ash-Reinforced Materials for Furnace Lining Applications

Fly ash is the major wastes generated during the combustion of coal in thermal power plants. More than 110 million tons of fly ash produced in India annually. It leads to a significant disposal problem. An attempt has been made by numerous researchers to integrate the fly ash in the industry sector. The key applications include the manufacturing of bricks, production of cement, soil amelioration, mine backfilling, etc. Nevertheless, the refractory bricks for furnace lining are mainly formed from iron and steel, which are imported and are very expensive. Hence, to tackle this issue, the current study is focused on the synthesis of fly-ash-rich brick for high-temperature applications. In this investigation, fly ash material combined with minor additives such as granite powder, alite cement, and black sand were manufactured. The pellets of these materials with a varying additive percentage from 5 to 30% were prepared using hydraulic pressure. The heat-treated pellets were physically and mechanically characterized to ensure the brick properties suitable for furnace lining applications. Surface morphology of raw materials and particle–particle interaction after palletization were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. Energy Dispersive x-Ray Analysis and x-ray diffraction technique were conducted to detect elemental analysis and phase evaluation of raw materials and fly-ash-rich brick after heat treatment. Microhardness of the samples was determined using a Vickers hardness tester. It is found that the formation of various complex compounds with respect to constituent composition, and pellet formation temperature has a great influence on the variation in hardness.