# US 10,479,730 B2 · Fused spinel-zirconia grains and refractory product obtained from said grains > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,479,730 B2 - Document ID: US10479730B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/769,272 - Filed: 2016-10-19 - Published: 2018-10-11 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-19 - Assignees: Saint-Gobain Centre De Recherches Et D'Etudes Europeen - Applicants: Saint-Gobain Centre De Recherches Et D'Etudes Europeen - Inventors: Stéphane Raffy; Nabil Nahas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479730B2 ## CPC - C04B 35/4885: {with aluminium oxide} - C04B 35/117: Composites - C04B 35/119: with zirconium oxide - C04B 35/18: rich in aluminium oxide - C04B 35/48: based on zirconium or hafnium oxides, zirconates, {zircon} or hafnates - C04B 35/482: Refractories from grain sized mixtures - C04B 35/484: Refractories by fusion casting - C04B 35/66: Monolithic refractories or refractory mortars, including those whether or not containing clay {(making or repairing of linings F27D1/16)} - C04B 2235/3206: Magnesium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof - C04B 2235/3208: Calcium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof, e.g. lime - C04B 2235/3217: Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina - C04B 2235/3225: Yttrium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof - C04B 2235/3272: Iron oxides or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. hematite, magnetite - C04B 2235/5427: millimeter or submillimeter sized, i.e. larger than 0,1 mm - C04B 2235/762: Cubic symmetry, e.g. beta-SiC - C04B 2235/763: Spinel structure AB2O4 - C04B 2235/765: Tetragonal symmetry - C04B 2235/80: Phases present in the sintered or melt-cast ceramic products other than the main phase - C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE ## Abstract Fused grains, in which the grains include a matrix of the zirconia-spinel eutectic coating inclusions composed essentially of a zirconia phase or of a spinel phase, the grains exhibit the following overall chemical composition, as percentages by weight expressed in the form of oxides: more than 45.0% and less than 95.0% of ZrO2, more than 3.0% and less than 40.0% of Al2O3, more than 1.0% and less than 20.0% of MgO, wherein ZrO2, Al2O3 and MgO together represent at least 95.0% of the weight of the grains. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Fused grains, in which: said grains comprise a matrix of a zirconia-spinel eutectic coating inclusions composed essentially of a zirconia phase or of a spinel phase, said grains exhibit the following overall chemical composition, as percentages by weight expressed in the form of oxides: more than 45.0% and less than 95.0% of ZrO2, more than 3.0% and less than 40.0% of Al2O3, more than 1.0% and less than 20.0% of MgO, ZrO2, Al2O3 and MgO together represent at least 95.0% of the weight of said grains. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, the chemical composition of which comprises more than 68% by weight of ZrO2. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, the chemical composition of which comprises less than 25% by weight of Al2O3. ### Claim 4 Fused grains, in which: said grains comprise a matrix of a zirconia-spinel eutectic coating inclusions composed essentially of a zirconia phase or of a spinel phase, said grains exhibit the following overall chemical composition, as percentages by weight expressed in the form of oxides: more than 45.0% and less than 95.0% of ZrO2, more than 3.0% and less than 40.0% of Al2O3, more than 1.0% and less than 20.0% of MgO, ZrO2, Al2O3 and MgO together represent at least 95.0% of the weight of said grains, and in which the Al2O3/MgO ratio by weight is between 1.0 and 5.0. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, in which ZrO2, Al2O3 and MgO together represent more than 98.0% of the weight of said grains. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, additionally comprising, on the basis of the oxide, more than 0.2% and less than 4% by weight of Y2O3. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, additionally comprising, on the basis of the oxide, more than 0.2% and less than 4% by weight of CaO. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, in which more than 50% of the inclusions essentially composed of zirconium oxide exhibit a greater dimension of less than 500 micrometers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, in which the spinel phase represents between 5% and 50% by weight of said grains. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The fused grains as claimed in claim 1, in which the ZrO2-spinel eutectic represents between 10% and 80% by volume of said grains. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A refractory ceramic material or product obtained by sintering or consolidation of fused grains, or of a mixture of starting materials comprising fused grains, as claimed in claim 1. ### Claim 12 A method comprising manufacturing a refractory material with fused grains, in which: said grains comprise a matrix of a zirconia-spinel eutectic coating inclusions composed essentially of a zirconia phase or of a spinel phase, said grains exhibit the following overall chemical composition, as percentages by weight expressed in the form of oxides: more than 45.0% and less than 95.0% of ZrO2, more than 3.0% and less than 40.0% of Al203, more than 1.0% and less than 20.0% of MgO, ZrO2, Al2O3 and MgO together representing at least 95.0% of the weight of said grains. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the refractory material is a refractory material for metallurgy. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said refractory material is obtained by sintering starting materials comprising said fused grains or consisting of said fused grains. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said refractory material is obtained by consolidation of starting materials comprising said fused grains or consisting of said fused grains. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said refractory material is obtained by sintering or consolidation of starting materials comprising a powder of zirconia and a powder of said fused grains, said powder of zirconia and said powder of fused grains together representing more than 90% by weight of said starting materials. ### Claim 17 (depends on 4) The fused grains as claimed in claim 4, in which the Al2O3/MgO ratio by weight is between 1.5 and 3.0.