Silicon carbide it has many applications in the field of refractory materials, some of the main ones are listed below:
Materials for high-temperature furnaces: Due to its high melting point and excellent thermal stability, silicon carbide is often used as refractory bricks or linings for high-temperature furnaces, especially where good thermal conductivity is required.
Furnace heating elements: Silicon carbide is also used in the manufacture of resistance heating elements because it maintains good electrical conductivity at high temperatures.
Wear-resistant materials: Due to its high hardness, silicon carbide is often used as a wear-resistant material, such as grinding wheels and abrasive pastes.
Metallurgical industry: In the metallurgical industry, silicon carbide is used as a treatment agent for molten iron, capable of removing oxygen and nitrogen impurities from molten iron.
Manufacture of refractory ceramics: Silicon carbide is mixed with other ceramic materials (e.g. silicon nitride, alumina, etc.) to create composite ceramics that are highly refractory and highly wear-resistant.
Manufacture of special furnaces: e.g. for sintering, forging or fusion casting.
Protective structures inside furnaces: In high-temperature, chemically corrosive or mechanically abrasive environments, silicon carbide components can be used as protective structures to protect the interior of the furnace from damage.
High-temperature filtration: Silicon carbide ceramic foams or other porous structures are used to filter liquid metals at high temperatures and remove their impurities.
In summary, silicon carbide (SiC) is a very hard, high melting point, thermally conductive and electrically conductive compound.
