[TheForge] Strengthening castable refractory

[Steve Smith]

I wonder if a metal rebar would work. It seems like the thermal 
expansion differences between the metal and castable could actually 
introduce cracks.

Steve Smith

Bruce Freeman wrote:

> In principal a rebar would help, but it would have to be one capable of surviving the heat.  Maybe SS would do.  Maybe nichrome?  Of course, an exotic like tungsten would work, but you'd have to find a (cheap) source of the stuff.
> 
> An alternative you might not have considered is "bricks".  In principal, unmortared bricks, in an arch, would have the advantage of having some give as they heated and cooled (i.e., the entire arch would move and shift at the seams), and hence they'd be less likely to crack.  
> 
> Perhaps it would be possible to pre-score a castable refractory so that if (when) it does crack, the cracks are where YOU want them to be.  This is just a thought � I haven't tried it.
> 
> Bruce
> NJ
> 
> Bruce
> NJ
> 
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