White Fused Alumina, or WFA for short, is a synthetic high-performance material that is widely used in abrasives, refractory materials, ceramics, metallurgy and other fields. It is made from bauxite or bauxite concentrate smelted in a high-temperature electric arc furnace and has excellent physical and chemical properties. Due to its high hardness, good wear resistance and strong chemical stability, white corundum has important applications in all walks of life.

Production process of white corundum
The production process of white corundum mainly includes the following steps:

Raw material preparation: The main raw materials are bauxite or bauxite concentrate, which are minerals containing aluminum and oxygen. A small amount of other materials are usually added to improve the performance of white corundum.

Smelting process: The raw materials are placed in an electric arc furnace and smelted at high temperature. The temperature of the electric arc furnace can usually reach above 2000°C, which can react the aluminum element in the bauxite with oxygen to form aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), and obtain white corundum by cooling.

Cooling and crushing: The white corundum crystals obtained by smelting need to be cooled, and then processed by crushing, screening and other processes to obtain white corundum products of different particle sizes.

Fine processing: The final product of white corundum can be further processed according to demand, such as polishing, coating, etc., to meet the needs of different applications.

Characteristics and properties of white corundum
White corundum has many excellent properties, including:

High hardness: The hardness of white corundum is very high, second only to diamond and cubic boron nitride (CBN), and can reach Mohs hardness 9. This makes it an extremely good abrasive that can be used in various processing processes such as grinding, polishing, and cutting.

Strong wear resistance: White corundum has very good wear resistance, which can effectively extend the service life and reduce processing costs. This is also one of the reasons why it is widely used in the abrasive industry.

Chemical stability: White corundum has excellent chemical stability at high temperatures, is not easy to react with acids and alkalis, can withstand high temperature environments, and has strong corrosion resistance.

High temperature performance: White corundum can withstand temperatures up to 1800°C and is suitable for high temperature working environments, such as refractory materials, metallurgical industries, etc.

Good electrical insulation: White corundum has good electrical insulation properties and is often used as an insulating material for electrical equipment and electronic devices.

Main application areas of white corundum
Abrasive industry: White corundum is a commonly used abrasive due to its high hardness and good wear resistance. It can be used to manufacture products such as grinding wheels, sandpaper, and polishing agents, and is widely used in the processing of materials such as metals, wood, stone, and glass.

Refractory materials: The high temperature resistance of white corundum makes it an important refractory material. It can be used to manufacture various refractory bricks, furnace linings, spraying materials, etc., and is widely used in high temperature furnaces in metallurgy, chemical industry, power industry, etc.

Metallurgical industry: In the metallurgical industry, white corundum is used as a casting material to improve the quality of castings and reduce casting defects. In addition, white corundum can also be used as a metallurgical additive in steel smelting to improve the fluidity and turbidity of metals.

Ceramic industry: Due to the wear resistance and chemical stability of white corundum, it is also often used in the production of ceramic materials, especially in the production of precision ceramics, as a reinforcing material to improve the strength and wear resistance of ceramics.

Electronic industry: The good electrical insulation properties of white corundum make it widely used in the electronics industry. It can be used to manufacture insulating components of various electronic devices, especially in applications under high pressure and high temperature environments.

Environmental protection: The excellent physical properties of white corundum also make it used in water treatment, air purification and other fields. For example, white corundum can be used to adsorb harmful substances or as a filter material to help clean industrial wastewater and exhaust gas.

Classification of white corundum
According to different smelting processes and particle sizes, white corundum can be divided into different types. Common classification methods are as follows:

Classification by particle size:

Coarse-grained white corundum: suitable for the production of abrasives, cutting tools, etc.

Fine-grained white corundum: suitable for high-precision processing applications such as polishing and finishing.

Classification by use:

Abrasive grade white corundum: used to manufacture abrasive products such as grinding wheels and sandpaper.
Refractory grade white corundum: used to make refractory materials such as refractory bricks and furnace linings.
Metallurgical grade white corundum: used for casting and additives in smelting.
Ceramic grade white corundum: used as a reinforcing material in the ceramic industry.
Development trend of white corundum
With the continuous advancement of industrial technology, the application field and technical level of white corundum are also developing. In the future, the main development trends of white corundum may include the following aspects:

High-purity white corundum: In order to meet the needs of more precise and high-end applications, more high-purity white corundum products may appear in the future. High-purity white corundum has better performance and can work under more stringent conditions.

High-performance composite materials: The composite of white corundum and other materials may become an important development direction in the future. For example, the composite of white corundum with materials such as silicon carbide and alumina can improve its overall performance and broaden its application field.

Environmental protection and sustainable development: In the production process, environmental protection and energy conservation will be the focus of the future development of the white corundum industry. Enterprises will gradually adopt more environmentally friendly production processes and technologies to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards.

In short, as an important industrial material, white corundum will continue to play an important role in various fields in the future with its excellent performance and broad application prospects.

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