Influence of different masonry designs of bottom linings
Résumé
Many bottom linings of refractory structures used in steel making industry are made of masonries with or without mortar. Several designs are possible: parallel, fish bone or radial. To compare the influence of these designs on the level of stress and displacements in the steel shell, the different masonries were modelled by an equivalent homogeneous material. The thermo-mechanical properties of this equivalent material were determined using a periodic homogenization method. They are temperature depending and depend of the joint states (open or closed in the two directions) for masonries with mortarless joints. This masonry model is used to simulate by the finite element method the behaviour of a simplified steel ladle. It demonstrates the influence of different parameters: presence or not of joints, dry joints/mortar joints, thickness of mortar joints, masonry design. It brings a help for the design of refractory masonry linings.