The growing technology applied in the refractory castables production has become more difficult the drying process due the reduction of their permeability and the consequent increasing difficult of vapor migration from the inner region of the body to the surface. The hydration of calcium aluminate cement is also responsible for the castables permeability reduction. This process is significatively affected by the presence of additives used to disperse the castables. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the different kind of additives on the drying behavior and traction strength of castables. It was verified that additives not only influence in the dispersion of matrix and binder particles but also in the type resulting hydrate. The additive CS favored the dispersion of castable and decreased water consumption resulting in the main formation of hydrates C3AH6 and AH3. The formation of AH3 is particularly favored by precipitation of C3AH6 due to alumina content available to its formation to be larger. This phase appears frequently as gel and due its high capacity to fill interparticle voids can be correlated to the traction strength development. On the other hand, in the presence of additive AC it was observed reduction in relation the formation these hydrates due his retarder effect which occurred by calcium ions consumption. Moreover, the presence of bigger water content contributed for increase of porosity and decrease of traction strength of castable.
Refractory castables; drying; mechanical strength; hydration; cement
