Research and development activities on refractory ceramics

A relatively small fraction of the total number of articles published annually (1,500–2,000) on refractory themes represent basic studies and the group sampled here does not well reflect the overall commercial activity in refractories. For example, a very large effort is expended in the engineering of new methods of conveying and emplacing concretes and in repairing all types of refractories. However, the larger refractory companies are restructuring ‘Research and Development’ staffs and several are greatly expanding investment in research capabilities in the areas of mix design, chemical additives, rheology of solid—liquid systems, modelling of processing and structures, test method development and studies of chemical mechanisms involved in corrosion, bonding, degradation by the atmosphere, and so on.