Interaction of Molten Iron with Ceramics Based on Iron and Aluminum Oxides

The interaction of molten iron with a ceramic material based on iron and aluminum oxides taken in equimolar ratio is investigated experimentally. The interaction begins with thermal decomposition of hematite, oxidation of boundary layers of molten iron to wüstite, and the reaction of wüustite with aluminum oxide with the formation of hercynite FeAl^sub 2^O^sub 4^ (in a surface layer of the melt). The rate of iron oxidation with hematite is relatively low, which is explained by the electrochemical processes at the molten iron-hematite melt interface. The reaction zone involves molten products of the interaction of wüstite with other components of the ceramic material, which are separated from the initial ceramic material by a gas-saturated loose layer. This structure of the reaction zone accounts for the extremely high resistance of the ceramic material under consideration to a thermal shock during contact with overheated melts.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]