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The process of "vitrifying" the walls of a ceramic brick-built furnace had been patented by William Harry of the Swansea Valley in 1817, but Young's solution was to build the whole furnace from a "silica firebrick," made with a 1% addition of lime, to bind the blue-grey "clay" of the Dinas rock.
The company also supplies refractory minerals to other refractory manufacturers for use in the ceramics industries as well as in welding and road surface products. Despite the closure in the 1990s of the nearby silica pits which supplied raw materials, the company remains a major local employer. As at 2015, it employed approximately 115 people. [1]
The bricks were destined for use in industrial furnaces. A narrow-gauge railway, with a rope worked incline, [4] transported silica sand and stones to the brickworks, which was adjacent to the Neath and Brecon Railway (which on 1 July 1922 became part of the Great Western Railway). [5]
Silica refractories are refractories containing more than 93% silicon oxide (SiO 2). They are acidic, have high resistance to thermal shock, flux and slag resistance, and high spalling resistance. Silica bricks are often used in the iron and steel industry as furnace materials.
Bricks in the metallurgy and glass industries are often used for lining furnaces, in particular refractory bricks such as silica, magnesia, chamotte and neutral (chromomagnesite) refractory bricks. This type of brick must have good thermal shock resistance, refractoriness under load, high melting point, and satisfactory porosity.
Acid brick or acid resistant brick is a specially made form of masonry brick that is chemically resistant and thermally durable. [1] Acid brick is created from high silica shale and fired at higher temperatures than those used for conventional brick. Some manufacturers create the brick by baking it for over a week.
The earliest ceramics made by humans were fired clay bricks used for building house walls and other structures. Other pottery objects such as pots, vessels, vases and figurines were made from clay , either by itself or mixed with other materials like silica , hardened by sintering in fire.
Plaster that contains powdered silica or asbestos presents health hazards if inhaled repeatedly. Asbestos is a known irritant when inhaled and can cause cancer, especially in people who smoke, [26] [27] and inhalation can also cause asbestosis. Inhaled silica can cause silicosis and (in very rare cases) can encourage the development of cancer. [28]