EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE CHANGES ON THE FURNACE CONSTRUCTION
The components of the furnace, such as bricks and tiles, expand or contract during heating and cooling. In order to allow the elements to move with temperature changes, appropriate gaps between the elements, known as dilatations, are necessary. The role of these expansion joints is played by horizontal and vertical joints. As mentioned above, refractory materials are used in the construction of furnaces.
The refractory materials include these, which are resistant to destruction by direct contact with fire and do not soften below the temperature of 1580 ° C. This property of the materials is achieved by firing ceramic products at very high temperatures, depending on the intended use of the fired material. Herman Seger once invented cones made of a mixture of different ingredients. Depending on the type and proportion of these components, the melting point of the cone changes. They are marked with numbers from 22 into 42, corresponding to the temperatures within 600-2000 °C. In order to mark the temperature in the furnace, several cones marked with consecutive numbers are inserted. Depending on this, which of the cones will tilt, the temperature in the furnace is determined, at which the tested refractory material softens.