Effect of Gezawa Clay on the Properties of Silica Stone for Refractory Brick

The investigations centered on how addition of Gezawa clay (GC) affects the refractory properties of the Gezawa stone (GS) (Silica Stone) with a view to finding the optimum percentage of the blend that will give good refractory properties. The samples were crushed, ground, sieved and the chemical compositions were determined. Test samples were produced by blending the Gezawa stone with various proportions of Gezawa clay. The refractoriness of the samples was measured, and the samples were then fired to 1100and standard properties such as thermal shock resistance, cold crushing strength and apparent porosity were determined. The result shows that addition of Gezawa clay to Gezawa stone improves its thermal shock resistance but reduces the refractoriness, while the porosity was found to be within the specified range for fire clay and the cold crushing strength of the samples was high. Compromise could be made in selecting the percentage that would suit certain application.