Thermal and thermomechanical evaluations of channel induction furnace applying strong insulation containing lightweight aggregates

Abstract

Monolithic materials with a strong thermal insulating effect are required by the foundry industry for further energy savings, meanwhile possible premature wear of refractory linings caused by over-insulation should be avoided. A monolithic insulating material containing lightweight aggregates possessed strong thermal insulation and was proposed to replace the traditional insulating material made of chamotte currently used in a channel induction furnace. To evaluate the new lining concept, creep of the working lining was considered in the finite element modelling and followed the classical von Mises creep model, which was defined with the Norton–Bailey strain hardening creep equation. The results showed that the lightweight design of the insulating lining reduces the heat loss from the steel shell and material consumption. Moreover, the thermomechanical loads in the refractory linings and steel shell remain within a reasonable range when compared with the currently in-use refractory lining concept.