is, 2000° IFB has a higher insulating value than 2300° brick, etc. A glory hole constructed from IFB takes longer to heat than one constructed from fiber ,but it retains its heat whereas fiber does not. IFB stores energy—fiber does not. See The IFB Glory Hole found on page 198. Although some glass artists build fiber glory holes, I prefer IFB.
High Alumina Block
High alumina block or brick has many uses in the glass studio. They are usually used as liners for glass furnaces. As a tank liner, they are much lower in price per cubic foot than a tank of equal size constructed from AZS refractories. Notice I didn’t say more cost effective. An AZS liner will last at least 5 years or longer, while a high alumina tank will usually last about 2 years, less if you’re batching. Alumina block are much and I mean much lower in initial cost than AZS. If you’re going to build a day tank, I recommend AZS over alumina. What you build your day tank from really depends on how you’re going to use the furnace and what your budget will support. The percent of alumina in the brick varies from a low of about 49% to a high of 99-3%. The alumina block sometimes used above the tank liner is an alumina/mullite block. Tamax is the trade name. Not all alumina block can be used inside a glass furnace or for direct glass contact. It is important to match the usage for which the block was designed. Using the wrong brick can create disaster. Some alumina type brick will spall terribly when used in a glass furnace. Spalling is when the face of the brick peels away in sheets. Not much fun when you’ve spent lots of money and time building your dream furnace. Just because a block is high alumina does not mean it can be used as a tank liner.
Years ago, all our furnaces were constructed from a block called “Crystalite.” This high alumina brick was manufactured by A.P. Green, was inexpensive and filled our needs at that time. The block that I have used as a substitute for the Crystalite is the Harbison Walker Korundal XD. It is reasonably priced (a relative term) and good for about 2 years in a school, if you’re lucky and only using “cullet.” As stated earlier, I don’t think high alumina block will hold up well if you’re melting batch at elevated temperatures.
Most studios today build crucible furnaces. The crucibles are high alumina and, if taken care of, can last a good length of time. The advantage of the crucible furnace is that, when the crucible goes, all you need to do is replace the crucible. When a day tank fails, you need to replace the complete furnace. Day tanks usually outlast crucibles by a factor of at least 2:1, and cracks in alumina liners are not, in the short run, a serious problem. If you’re using a very active glass, that is, one that has a very low viscosity, it will attack your liner and produce stones in short order. As temperature rises, glass viscosity goes down
Remember, the hotter you get your furnace the shorter the life span of your block if it’s alumina. This is not such an issue for AZS. So why use alumina block as a glass liner? The only reason is that they are relatively inexpensive and fairly easy to build with.
AZS Block
AZS stands for Alumina Zirconia Silicate. These blocks are also referred to as “fused cast refractories.” AZS is the ultimate in tank liners. If treated properly they will last many years under the harsh conditions of glass melting. The caveat is “if treated properly,” but more about that later.
A great deal has happened to the companies that manufactured AZS block in the last few years. At one time it was possible to purchase this block from two mainline manufacturers, Carborundum and Corhart. Over the last few years both of these companies have been absorbed by other companies. Corhart has been absorbed by St. Gobain/Sefpro, and Carborundum is now part of the Cookson Group/Vesuvius. It is difficult to obtain block from St. Gobain, but as of this writing one can purchase block from Vesuvius/Monofrax.
AZS block is produced by melting pure alumina, zirconia, and silica in a giant, water-cooled electric arc crucible and pouring the mixture into graphite molds. The AZS block is then annealed for weeks. The resulting block has the highest density of any existing glass tank liner block. Don’t try to pick up one of these blocks if you have a bad back. When I say these beauties are dense, I mean dense.
After they are annealed, they are diamond cut to size and then the sides diamond ground to ensure a perfect fit for construction. The high refractory nature of the materials, plus the density of the block, make them ideal for direct glass contact. Since the cost of manufacture is high, the retail price is also high; however, AZS block will last longer than any other type of glass liner you will use and are very cost effective in the long run. AZS works best at elevated temperatures. The downside to AZS is that it is very prone to thermal shock. They need to be maintained at temperatures above 1800° F (982° C). If they fall below that temperature, they have a strong tendency to crack. One must take that into account when charging, as cold cullet or batch can drop the temperature quite suddenly and possibly crack the line. Small charges can help mitigate thermal problems. Regardless of how carefully you maintain the proper temperature, your AZS liner will eventually crack.
When lighting up, it is imperative that you raise the temperature very—and I mean very—slowly to above 1800° F. It is not unheard of to take at least one week to bring them up to operating temperature. I’ve constructed four AZS furnaces and have never had anyone of those furnaces last less than 7 years. If
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