Sessile-Drop Laboratory System for Determining the Wettability of Refractories by Silicate Melts

In the metallurgical and glass industries, a major cause of damage to refractories in high-temperature systems is corrosion by melts. Corrosion is often associated with the penetration of melt into refractories; this may be assessed in terms of the wetting of refractories by melt. In the present work, a laboratory system for assessing the high-temperature wettability of refractories by silicate melts is tested. The wetting of borosilicate glass by MKS-72 refractories is compared in cases with no coating and with coatings of corundum and spinel applied by detonational surfacing. It is established that the laboratory system produces accurate and reliable results. Hence it may be confidently used to assess the wetting of refractories by melt.