Aluminum reverberatory furnace lining

A lining for use in an aluminum reverberatory furnace or the like for heating molten aluminum in a cavity formed by a roof, sidewalls and a bottom to be lined with refractory material, said lining comprising:

• a. a band of hot face refractory material around the interior periphery of said cavity sidewalls for contacting molten aluminum in said furnace at the normal operating levels of the upper surface of said molten aluminum;
• b. a layer of backup refractory material interposed between the sidewalls and said band of hot face refractory material;
• c. means formed on said layer of backup refractory material adjacent said sidewalls for receiving vertical and lateral support from said sidewalls, including at least a portion of said layer of backup material which forms a first channel adjacent said sidewall;
• d. means formed on said layer of backup refractory material for providing vertical and lateral support to said band of hot face refractory material including at least a portion of said layer of backup material which forms a second horizontal channel adjacent said band of hot face refractory material, said second horizontal channel comprising a first surface forming one side of said second channel extending down from the top of said backup layer a first distance less than the total height of said backup layer, a second surface extending up from the bottom of said backup layer a second distance less than the total height of said backup layer such that the top of said second surface is offset from the bottom of said first surface a lateral distance sufficient to provide mechanical strength required for support to said hot face band and a connecting surface comprising another side of said channel angled away from said first surface and extending up from the lowest extent of said first surface to the highest extent of said second surface;
• and
• e. means formed on said band of hot face of refractory material adjacent said layer of backup refractory material for receiving vertical and lateral support therefrom, including a portion of said band of hot face refractory material forming a projection sized for corresponding overlapping engagement into said second horizontal channel such that the adjacent surfaces of said backup layer and said hot face band are substantially in abutting contact when said corresponding projection and second horizontal channel are engaged and said hot face band projection is formed by a third surface extending down from the top of said hot face band a distance substantially equal to said first distance of said first surface, a fourth surface extending up from the bottom of said hot face band a distance substantially equal to said second distance of said second surface, and an interposed surface correspondingly angled and positioned for contacting said angled side of said backup block second channel when said first surface is in contact with said third surface and when said second surface is in contact with said fourth surface.