Evaluation of Termite Hill as Refractory Material for High Temperature Applications

Evaluation of termite hill as refractory material for high temperature applications has been successfully carried out as an effort to meet the present demand in our foundry, steel and metallurgical industries and future development of other industries. The level of exploitation and degree of development of the resources is also likely to continue to play a central role in economic wellbeing of the nation in future. Therefore, the need to carry out investigation on the evaluation of termite hill as refractory material for high temperature applications is highly essential. The samples were collected from five different points of the termite hill deposits in and around the Niger State Polytechnic, Zungeru and were marked for investigation. The samples were homogenized to obtain representative sample using cone and quartering technique and were then subjected to tests to determine the refractory properties and quality of the termite hill clay sample. The physical Appearance of the Termite Hill clay sample before firing was brown. The following tests were carried out in order to determine the properties of the clay before its use for brick making for furnace lining. The tests include plasticity, moisture content, shrinkage, porosity, (Apparent porosity), permeability, refractoriness density, nitrification, water absorption, and chemical composition analysis. This paper presents some results of the investigation carried out on the refractory properties of sample obtained from the Termite hill clay sample. The sample revealed the following properties: Moisture contents (7%); Fired shrinkage at 1100oc (9.18%); Thermal shock Resistance at 900oc (15); apparent porosity at 1100oc (22%); Plasticity (40%) and Water absorption (37.64%). Others are Solid density (3.33g/cm3); bulk density (1.948g/cm3), specific gravity (2.81), permeability (80.4), and refractoriness (1200oc). The chemical analysis of the clay sample revealed a fairly high proportion of silica and alumina contents. Therefore, the clay sample could be classified as Alumino-silicate or fire clay group. The refractoriness of the brick produced based on the available furnace used revealed that the brick was quite capable of withstanding temperature range of as high as 1200oc – 1500oc. With the result obtained from this investigation, the termite hill clay sample is a suitable material capable of being used for bricks making for applications in furnace lining and metallurgical industries.