Masonry Magazine April 1987 Page. 41
This bricklayer is repairing the heat-resistant refractory lining of a coke oven. Coke is produced here by subjecting coal to extremely high temperatures to drive off certain volatile elements. The coke is then used to smelt iron out of iron ore in blast furnaces.
Among other things, the bricklayers know how to anchor the refractory units to the furnace's metal shell and cut the firebrick to fit the curve of the hearth. Although the walls will not be on public view, as in a new school, home or office building, it is extremely important that they make the refractory units fit tightly; otherwise the chemicals, slag or molten iron ore could immediately seep through to the less durable, metal shell.
Even the most durable refractory will eventually wear down. For example, in a typical blast furnace producing 1,400 to 10,000 tons of iron a day, temperatures sometimes exceed 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and the fire clay brick must be periodically repaired and replaced.
The goal for any manufacturer using extremely high-temperature processes is to have as little "down time" as possible. On a so-called "hot job," when bricklayers must repair an oven before it has completely cooled down, or while adjacent ovens are functioning, fainting or heat stroke by the workers is not uncommon, and they will always work in pairs for this reason.
A member of a three-generation family of refractory workers says there is no easy work involved in the refractory trade. He recalls repairing the lining of one of three boilers in a hospital in Pennsylvania-the other two boilers, one on each side, had to keep running to supply heat and hot water to the facility. He also often worked on projects when some of the walls were red hot. In such conditions, the men wore wooden shoes and asbestos coats and gloves, and they took salt tablets to avoid dehydration.
Perhaps the greatest hazard of refractory labor is silicosis, a lung disease which can occur after years of exposure to the silicate dust thrown into the atmosphere by most refractory products as they are being applied. But this and other dangers have been lessened in recent years.
PRESENTS EQUIPMENT FOR THE CONTRACTOR
SCAFFOLD & SHORING EQUIPMENT
BUILDING SYSTEMS
MATERIAL HOISTING EQUIPMENT
* Heights to 300'
* Capacity to 5,000#
* Gas, Electric, or Diesel Drive
* Long Life
* Complete Line
* Since 1947
* Heavy-Duty/Sturdy
* Competitive Pricing
* Contractor Tested
THE LOW COST, FLEXIBLE SOLUTION TO YOUR TEMPORARY ENCLOSURE NEEDS!
* Storage Area
* Maintenance/Repair
* Scaffold Enclosures
* Weather Protection