Blast furnace hearth campaigns with different hearth designs at Salzgitter Flachstahl

The current campaign of Salzgitter Flachstahl's blast furnace B started in 2004. One year later, blast furnace A was refurbished. The hearth of BF B was relined with small, hot pressed carbon bricks, while the hearth of BF A was bricked with large carbon blocks glued together. The goal of this new composite lining method is to avoid or at least substantially reduce the brittle zone that forms in the carbon blocks of the hearth. During the current campaign, the hearth lining of BE B, consisting of mortared, small, hot pressed carbon bricks formed a natural, protective skull. This interim report describes different wear progress mechanisms of the hearth lining and focuses on certain aspects relative to lining design and progress of refractory wear as observed during the time of low hot metal production, mandated by the 2008 - 2009 recession.