Mechanical Properties and Thermal Shock Resistance of Alumina/Hexagonal Boron Nitride Composite Refractories

Alumina/hexagonal boron nitride (Al2O3/h-BN) composite refractories were fabricated with various h-BN contents, to study the effects on the mechanical properties and thermal shock resistance (TSR) of the composite refractories. The results showed that the mechanical properties of the composite refractories, including fracture strength, Young’s modulus, fracture toughness, work of fracture, and decreased with the increase of h-BN amount. However, the residual flexural strength ratio after thermal shock test was increased with increasing the h-BN content, showing an improvement of TSR. The resistance to fracture propagation caused by the thermal stresses was increased, as supported by the RIV and RST parameters.