Modeling and Optimization of Characteristics of Structures Made of Refractory Nonmetallic Materials with a Rigid System of Transport Pores Formed by Sintering Fibers

The article presents the results of studies on modeling and optimizing the structure of refractory nonmetallic materials with a rigid system of transport pores formed by sintering basalt fibers. Based on the analysis of the images of the structures, it is shown that the Kozeny approach can be chosen as an approximate model for calculating and optimizing the characteristics for a combination of two media: a medium formed by ceramic fibers and a medium in the form of a rigid system of transport pores. Moreover, the interpenetration of media obeys a normal distribution. It has been established by calculation that the optimal structure with a porosity of 52–75% is characterized by an average pore size of 20–25 µm, a permeability coefficient (2–3) × 10–10 m2, and a compressive strength of 7–21 MPa. The calculated values are confirmed by experimental results. The conducted studies prove that the porous material made of basalt fiber is able to provide better filtering characteristics compared to analogues.