Furnace Construction

In industrial furnaces, efficiency depends primarily on insulating materials such as fibers, wool or stones. For this, materials must be used which offer a compromise between insulating capacity, heat storage capacity, mechanical strength and maximum application temperature [Nol17]. At the same time, the use of modern materials for the heating elements is essential to release the desired energy at the application temperature [Irr10] and to ensure thermal shock resistance [Lin19].

IKH PRODUCTS USED FOR THIS INDUSTRY

Alumina (Al2O3)

Due to its excellent price-performance ratio, alumina (Al2O3) ceramics are predestined for many technical applications and the most widely used oxide ceramic material [KOL18]. Its low costs are due to the high availability of aluminum (3rd most common element in the earth’s crust) and the costeffective preparation and sintering processes.

Zirconia (ZrO2)

Ceramics made from zirconia (ZrO2), occupy a special position among engineering ceramics due to their exceptional mechanical properties. For example, some zirconium oxide ceramics exhibit extremely high flexural strength and fracture toughness previously considered as unattainable for ceramics.