Solids by their nature contract and expand once they are exposed to temperature fluctuations, especially when used together with thermally conductive metals. therefore, cements used in high tempertaure applications such ovens, kilns, expansion joints etc. must retain their structural integrity in the presence of the continuous thermodynamic stress. Regular cement has good expansion capabilities with other rigid equipment but deterioration of the binding material makes it fail to contract evenly leading to a mechanical failure of the structure.
To prevent mechanical failure, the refractory cements are made with binding materials that have improved thermodynamic properties. Minerals like aluminum oxide are used in binding the coarse aggregate materials in the cement as well as providing high temperature resistant properties without necessarily reducing the material formability. This condition makes it possible to manufacture refractory cements that contain good properties of thermal resistance and formability.