Postmortem Analyses Of Salvaged Conventional Silica Bricks From Glass Production Furnaces

The microstructure, phase content, and thermal conductivity of salvaged conventional silica bricks from float glass and TV-panel glass production furnaces were examined as a function of position through the brick, and compared with the original, unaltered rick materials. The silica brick from the float furnace was in service for approximately 10 years while that for the TV-panel furnace was approximately 6 years. The microstructure and phase content in both salvaged bricks showed gradients, from tridymite at the bricks cold-face ends, to cristobalite at their hot-face end even though both bricks were an initial mixture of both to begin with.