Brown Fused Alumina

Brown Fused Alumina

Brown Fused Alumina is an abrasive that is made from bauxite and can be produced in various shapes and sizes including grit size, shot, mesh, and coated products. It is a durable material with a Mohs hardness of 9 and a high strength to weight ratio. It also has excellent wear and corrosion resistance and good thermal conductivity. It is also ecologically clean and free of respirable crystalline silica (SiO2).

LKAB Minerals produces a wide range of brown fused alumina, also known as corundum, in an electric arc furnace process. This produces a dense material that is virtually iron-free, making it an ideal choice for sandblasting applications. It is particularly suitable for rust, scale, and etch removal from materials such as steel and stainless steel. It is also used to smooth surfaces prior to coating or bonding, to anchor patterns during application of a coating or bonding, and for surface preparation in general metal fabrication.

The production of alumina is an energy intensive operation and therefore requires substantial investment in facilities and equipment. This is why the alumina industry continues to search for alternate sources of raw material and to develop technologies that make use of these resources. In particular, coal fly ash has become an important source of alumina and is being used to replace some of the traditional raw materials such as bauxite and natural gas.

As the world’s established metal manufacturers continue to produce more and more complex metal alloys, alumina demand is expected to continue to grow. This growth will be driven by the Asia Pacific region’s booming automobile and capital manufacturing industries as well as the building and construction sector. In addition, increased demand for refractory materials is predicted throughout the projection period due to the increase in global steel production.

In order to meet increasing demands, the alumina market will need to expand. To do this, producers will need to find alternative sources of bauxite to substitute for the natural resources that are becoming scarce. One potential substitute is coal fly ash, which contains a large amount of alpha alumina.

White Fused Alumina and Brown Fused Alumina are two distinct types of alumina that are both widely used in the refractory industry. They are produced differently and have different alumina content levels. White alumina is made from alumina powder while brown is produced with calcined bauxite.

Using brown fused alumina and top grade bauxite as the main raw materials, the effects of varying bauxite additions on the microstructure and hot modulus of rupture of zero-cement aluminate-silica-cement castables were studied. The results indicated that the optimum addition of top grade bauxite was 12.5 wt% to promote in-situ mullite formation and improve the hot modulus of rupture. This is an important result because it is closely related to the structural stability of the castables.