Cavitation resistance of refractory concrete: Influence of sintering temperature

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible application of refractory concrete in conditions of cavitation effect where the metal materials are usually applied. Also, influence of different sintering temperatures on cavitation resistance of refractory concrete was analyzed. As the refractory concrete, low cement castable was synthesized, cured, and then sintered at three different temperatures: 1100, 1300, and 1600 °C. Mass loss and surface degradation of investigated samples were monitored for 3 h during the exposure to the cavitation erosion. The results show that the samples sintered at 1100 °C are not suitable for application in conditions of cavitation since they were significantly destroyed only after 30 min of testing. On the other side, the samples sintered at 1300 and 1600 °C exhibited very good cavitation resistance, since they were stable during 360 min of cavitation testing with the damage level below 30% compared to the original surface.