REFRACTORY INDUSTRY

The refractory industry currently consumes the majority of Virginia Kyanite™ and Virginia Mullite™.

Refractories are heat-resistant materials that constitute the linings for high-temperature furnaces and reactors and must be able to withstand high temperatures, mechanical wear, thermal shock and chemical corrosion. Our products are used in the manufacture of shaped and unshaped refractories for variety of applications. Our customers take advantage of the unusually high expansion of our kyanite to offset shrinkage from other materials and binders. Monolithics of all sorts are the predominant user of our kyanite such as variety of castables, plastics, mortar, gunning mixes, ramming mixes etc. our kyanite in the finer fraction are used in bricks to minimize shrinkage and also provides an in expensive source of Mullite upon heating that is very beneficial.

At higher temperatures Kyanite converts to Mullite that is an excellent material for good thermal shock resistance, creep resistance, and high hot strength and chemical corrosion resistance that are very desirable properties.