The European Ceramic Society
Laboratory sheet

Poland
AGH University of Science and Technology Krakow - Department of Ceramic and Refractory Materials
Research on development of new and innovative refractory materials with prolonged lifetime and environmentally friendly materials solutions
Director : Prof. DSc. Eng. Jacek SZCZERBA
Email : jszczerb@agh.edu.pl
Phone : +48 12 6172501
Address : AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Material Science and Ceramic Department of Ceramic and Refractory Materials 30 Mickiewicza Av., Building B6, 30-059 Kraków
Website : http://kcimo.pl
Research topics :
- New methods for production of alternative refractory raw materials and wide characterization of their properties
- Raw materials for production of refractory materials, incl. oxide and non-oxide raw materials as
well as various additives used in refractories processing
Contact information: Prof. DSc. Eng. Jacek SZCZERBA, Dr. Eng. Ryszard PROROK,
Dr. Eng. Ilona JASTRZĘBSKA
Tel: +48 12 6172501, +48 12 6174004
Email: jszczerb@agh.edu.pl, rprorok@agh.edu.pl, ijastrz@agh.edu.pl - Refractory cement, cementless binders and other binding systems in refractory concretes and their
impact on the work performance of refractory lining - Design and testings of refractory castables, wear of refractory castables, their corrosion and
thermo-mechanical resistance
Contact information: Prof. DSc. Eng. Jacek SZCZERBA, Dr. Eng. Ryszard PROROK
Tel: +48 12 6174004, +48 12 6172501
Email: rprorok@agh.edu.pl, jszczerb@agh.edu.pl - Synthesis of refractory materials using arc plasma
Refractory spinels – synthesis and comprehensive structure characterization
Contact information: Dr. Eng. Ilona JASTRZĘBSKA
Tel: +48 12 6174004
Email: ijastrz@agh.edu.pl - Design and development of new chrome-free refractories for copper industry
- Alternative chrome-free refractories for other industries
Contact information: Dr. Eng. Ilona JASTRZĘBSKA, MSc. Eng. Maciej LUDWIG
Tel: +48 12 6174004
Email: ijastrz@agh.edu.pl, ludwig@agh.edu.pl - Recycling of refractory materials for steel and other industries
- Refractory materials containing carbon incl. doloma-carbon and magnesia-carbon refractories
- Corrosion of refractory materials by molten metallic slag
- Post-mortem analysis of refractory materials
Contact information: Prof. DSc. Eng. Jacek SZCZERBA, Dr. Eng. Ilona JASTRZĘBSKA,
Dr. Eng. Ryszard PROROK, MSc. Eng. Maciej LUDWIG
Tel: +48 12 6174004
Email: jszczerb@agh.edu.pl, ijastrz@agh.edu.pl, rprorok@agh.edu.pl, ludwig@agh.edu.pl - Ceramic materials for welding and their recycling
Contact information: Dr. Eng. Ilona JASTRZĘBSKA
Tel: +48 12 6174004
Email: ijastrz@agh.edu.pl
Exceptional facilities :
- arc-plasma furnace, numerous high-temperature furnaces;
- furnace for determination of thermomechanical properties incl. refractoriness under load, RUL, and creep-in-compression, CIC, (possibility to operate with controlled atmosphere);
- simultaneous thermal analysis DTA/DSC-TG-EGA, instrument for thermal analysis Netzsch STA 449 F3 Jupiter is equipped with a mass spectrometer MS 403C Aëolos;
- XRD, HT-XRD, SEM/EDS, XRF, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy;
- high-temperature microscope;
- determination of true density by helium pycnometer;
- apparatus for determination of open porosity, apparent density, absorbability and permeability;
- apparatus for determination of pore size distribution;
- apparatus for thermal shock resistance, determination of thermal expansion coefficient α and thermal conductivity coefficient λ;
- determination of modulus of elasticity using static and dynamic methods, incl. measurements at elevated temperatures;
- apparatus for hardness measurements;
- machines for mechanical strength measurements;
- fully equipped laboratory for refractory castables preparation and evaluation of their properties incl. crushers, mills, mechanical sieve, mixers for concrete, vibrating tables, climatic chambers;
- Programs and databases incl. FactSage program, PhaseEquilibria Diagrams database;
Financial support programmes :
- European Founds Inteligent Development Operational Programme „Development of innovative technology in range of high-quality secondary raw materials for increasing the recycling of composites wastes”), 2017-currently.
- The Polish National Centre for Research and Development Project INNOTECH „Innovative types of refractory materials containing calcium zirconate”, 2013-2015.
- European Founds Innovative Economy Operational Programme „Application of grains produced from the alternative domestic sources in refractory materials”), 2012-2015.
- European Founds Innovative Economy Operational Programme „Implementation of innovative technology for the production of RH device ingots”, 2010-2014.
- The Polish National Science Centre Project „The assessment of the influence of aluminium oxide on the thermomechanical and resistance properties of the refractory products based on MgO and CaZrO3”, 2009-2012.
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