| The refractory industry around the world has gone through some
tumultuous periods during the past twenty years. Being prima·
rily dependent on Iron and steel industry, it suffered a signifl·
cant downturn during the early eighties. Since then, a dramatic
shift came about when conventional refractories became redundant
and new developments appeared in the market, primarily in
the monolithic refractories, which resurrected the industry. New
binding materials and bonding systems along with innovative
application systems brought the industry to its current position.
In this paper, the new developments of products and applications
with their effects on the users, as are envisioned in the
21st century, will be discussed. The scope of the paper is limited
to conventional methods of iron and steel making refractories. |
