| 摘要 |
<p>Apparatus and methods of making components of an insulating or fire protective structure are disclosed, comprising making a plurality of freeze-cast ceramic elements, each element consisting of a shell 28 formed from a freeze-castable ceramic slurry having an internal void 29 which is filled with a fibrous and / or foam and / or particulate insulation or may be left empty. The casting process taught uses cryogenic freezing and a highly thermally conducting mould 20 so that flash freezing occurs to produce a mechanically strong ceramic shell, with an internal void which may be filled with an insulating material. This material may be a further freeze cast ceramic or loose insulation. Preferably the method involves pre-cooling the slurry and pre-cooling the mould in a cryogenic environment before use. The mould may be made from metal sheets which are flexible to promote the release of the article after casting. Further, making a tunnel kiln from interlocking components is disclosed.</p> |
