In gunitlng linings for metallurgical plants working with liquid slag, the gunited coating is usually deposited on a surface above the slag zone, not in contact with the slag [1][2][3]. With the aim of establishing the advislbility of guniting linings in contact with liquid slag, we have made tests on the slag resistance of gunited coatings based on powdered sintered and electromelted magnesites and electromelted aluminomagnesia spinels, which have high slag resistance [4]. In some cases, phosphate binders were added to the guniting material in the form of aqueous solutions of sodium polyphosphates and orthophosphates and refractory clay. The chemical and grain-slze compositions of the refractory gunite powders are listed in Table i.The specimens for slag resistance testing* were prepared from semidry masses by guniting.The specimens were cylinders 75 mm in length and diameter, with a 3 mm diameter hole through the vertical axis. In the tops of the specimens we drilled a funnel connected with the hole; the base diameter and height of the cone-shaped funnel were both 20mm.The specimens were placed in a kryptol furnace. After the furnace had been warmed up to 1650~ tablets of synthetic slag were fed to the funnel via a ceramic pipe. The tablets were i0 mm in diameter and height and 2 g in weight. The chemical composition of the slag was as follows: 61.51% Fe2Os, 9.89% FeO, 7.26% Si02, 7.96% Al2Os, 8.9% CaO, and 3.9% MgO. The slag resistance tests lasted 30 or 60 min; the slag used in each test was 50 or i00 g.After cooling, the specimens were cut in half with a diamond wheel, and in the cross section we measured the total area impregnated by the slag, with allowance for shrinkage or expansion of the coatings during the tests. The results are listed in Table 2. Specimens Nos. 1-5 after the slag resistance tests are shown in Fig. i. The smallest impregnated area was that of the electromelted magnesite. The impregnated area increased with the test duration. During the slag resistance tests, the specimens of electromelted aluminomagnesia spinel cracked.Considering the relatively poor resistance of gunited coatings against the action of fused slag, we made investigations aimed at improving their service lives. It is known that the resistance of refractory linings of furnace units increases when the temperature of the refractory is reduced with the aid of water-cooling systems [5][6][7]. In this case the liquid slag falling on the surface of the gunited coatings will solidify, forming a protective llning. A necessary condition for this is that the thermal conductivity of the gunited coating must be increased.We have made investigations with a view to development of a technology for gunited coatings with high thermal conductivity. These coatings were made from powders of sintered and electromelted magnesites; the binders were aqueous solutions of sodium polyphosphate~ and orthophosphates. To the experimental compositions we added a filler with high thermal conductivity --2-5 mm diameter cast iron pellets of grade DChL (G...