The Slide Gate Refractories - Present Status and Future Trend

A review has been made of the slide gate system since the beginning of their usage. Initially, mullite bonded high alumina was selected as the plate material which was improved later by incorporating fused zirconia-mullite. Direct bonded magnesia plates were developed in western countries and improved by addition of zirconia for resisting more chemically arduous teeming conditions. The development of magnesia spinel slide gate plates has also been reported. Further improvement could be achieved by adopting improved pitch impregnation method and high temperature and pressurised coking. In Japan, resin bonded alumina carbon plates were developed for meeting very arduous condition during teeming of steel. For some special operational parameters, mullite-zirconia-alumina material was replaced by zirconia-alumina material. The wear of slide gate plates has also been discussed in the paper.