Michel Rigaud1 and Zhou2 Ningsheng (2) 3
Abstract
An analysis of the present and of the future of the refractories industry is being presented, considering some important technical, economical, human and environmental issues, on a worldwide basis. Refractories are still needed as confinement materials to prevent heat and mass transfer losses in many diverse manufacturing industries, and will remain so, but the main challenges, this industry do need to meet, are to adjust to an overcapacity production, to cope with new needs of the customers, in particular the "outsourcing", which is a new customer / supplier relationship being adopted by many of them, and to keep the research and development alive in a more and more competitive arena. Among the direct consequences, are the need to keep the education world in refractory engineering training alive and to cope with macro and micro projects to change the image of the Refractories, from a commodity material to a sophisticated "high-tech" composite material. Some suggestions are provided in the text.
 

CHEN Renpin, CHEN Rui and HUANG Jinsong (2) 9
·Abstract
Operating condition and service results of several tested bricks in slagline area of the VOD vessel are described. It has been shown that the fully co-clinkered magnesite chrome brick is superior,followed by two-stage calcined magnesite- dolomite brick, prereacted magnesite-chrome brick and one-stage calcined magnesite-dolomite brick. Chemical and petrological examination were carried out by conventional analysis and optical microscope respectively. The reason of damage of the tested bricks are discussed and described as follows:(1) MgO in brick is erosed and dissolved by slag to destroy structure of the direct bond;(2)slag penetrating into the brick and then reacting with it to form various belts leading to spalling; (3)reducing action of reducing agents;(4)vaporization of some composition in the brick at high temperature under vacuum causes reducing weigh t and increasing porosity and (5)serious machanic abrasion. Therefore, some opinions on increasing lining life of VOD vessels are suggested.
 

CHEN Kaixian1, LI Yong2, SUN Jialin1 and HONG Yanruo1 (2) 18
·Abstract
The state-of-art of magnesia-chrome refractories from direct-bonded magnesia chrome brick to fused-grain rebounded magnesia chrome brick for P-S converter is discribed. The Cr2O3 content of the brick is continually increased with the reduction of the impurity content of brick, the pre-synthetic raw material is applied and the operating condition of converter is optimized so that the service life of converter is largely enhanced.

YANG Lihong LIU Liu (2) 22
Abstract 
This paper describes the resisting ability of gunning material for blast furnace to carbon monoxide corrosion under the mixed gas condition through inletting hydrogen into pure CO. A standard for testing the resisting ability of refractory to CO corrosion with mixed gas instead of pure CO has also been discussed. The results show: the addition of hydrogen accelerates the CO corrosion on gunning material; the same results has been reached with the CO , 200 hours and CO 95%+H2 5%, 24 hours. It is reasonable to use CO 95%+H2 5%, 24 hours instead of pure CO, 200 hours to test the resisting ability of refractory to carbon monoxide corrosion.
 

Qi xiaoqing Wang yufan (2) 26
·Abstract
The microstructure of high chrome bricks made at different sintering temperature are analyzed by SEM . The results indicate that the sintering temperature of high chrome bricks has an optimum range, it is not the higher, the better. The high chrome bricks made at this sintering temperature have the moderate crystal size in the matrix and of dense structure. The closed bonding structure could be obtained between grains and matrix and no crackle occurred. The high chrome bricks with this microstructure have the best dynamic properties.