why is silica used to make bricks for high temperature furnaces
Fire brick The silica firebricks that line steel-making furnaces are used at temperatures up to 1648°C (3000°F), which would melt many other types of ceramic, and in fact part of the silica firebrick liquefies.[citation needed] High-temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI), a material with the same composition, was used in the insulating tiles of the Space Shuttle.[citation needed]