Throat
Ladle charging, lance injection and pouring operations cause the throat refractory to crack and spall. Fibres help retain the lining intact, considerably extending its service life and the period between interim repairs.

Recommendation: ME 446

Throat Apron
Repeated iron splashing can crack the refractory apron, causing loss of protection for the steel casing and ultimately lead to expensive steelwork repair. A fibre reinforced lining will typically have double the service life of a non-fibre castable in this application.

Recommendation: ME 430

Throat Cover
Radiant heat iron splashing and mechanical shock quickly crack and spall the refractory reducing the cover's insulating efficiency and working life. ME fibres minimise the effects of thermal and mechanical shock so maintenance and energy costs remain low.

Recommendation: ME 446

NB: Fibretech ME fibres can also be used to extend the life of the ladle's impact pad.

Injection Lances
Lances endure repeated thermal cycling, often directly from ambient to 1500°C-1600°C, Thermal shock is extreme in this most severe of tests. Cracked and spalled refractory quickly reduces the lance's working life. As a result steel fibre reinforcement is now standard in all modern lance refractory.

Recommendation: ME 446