Also called: Refractory Applications Engineer, High-Temperature Lining Engineer
Designs the heat-proof brick and concrete linings inside steel furnaces, glass tanks and kilns that hold molten metal and fire.
A steel mill's ladle lining wears out too fast. You study broken bricks under a microscope, pick a tougher material, and design a new lining pattern. Then you fly to the plant during a shutdown to watch it installed, measuring how it heats up.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in ceramic, materials or metallurgical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Ceramic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering.
Growing about average. Every steel, glass, cement and aluminum plant needs refractories.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Modeling helps predict wear, but on-site inspection and design choices stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus, Art (ceramics).
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