Mullite–corundum ceramics are pivotal in heat transfer pipelines and thermal energy storage systems due to their excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. Establishing relationships and mechanisms through traditional experiments is time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this study, gradient boosting regression (GBR), random forest (RF), and artificial neural network (ANN) models were developed to predict essential properties such as apparent porosity, bulk density, water absorption, and flexural strength of mullite–corundum ceramics. The GBR model (R² 0.91–0.95) outperformed the RF and ANN models (R² 0.83–0.89 and 0.88–0.91, respectively) in accuracy. Feature importance and partial dependence analyses revealed that sintering temperature and K₂O (~0.25%) positively affected bulk density while negatively influencing apparent porosity and water absorption. Additionally, sintering temperature, additives, and Fe₂O₃ (optimal content ~5% and 1%, respectively) were positively related to flexural strength. This approach provided new insight into the relationships between feedstock compositions and sintering process parameters and ceramic properties, and it explored the possible mechanisms involved.

Clarifying combustion-space behavior is essential for operating large-tonnage natural gas-fired float glass furnaces with complex single-furnace dual-cooler layouts. In this study, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model of the gas-phase combustion space of a 1300 t/d natural gas-fired float glass furnace was developed and validated using crown-temperature measurements, with a maximum relative error of 3.3%. The effects of burner inclination angle (β = 5°, 10°, and 15°) and excess air ratio (α = 1.0–1.20) on temperature distribution, flame morphology, and flue-gas recirculation were investigated. The results show that β = 5° produces a more horizontally extended natural-gas jet, enhances contact with preheated air, and forms a wider high-temperature region, with a maximum temperature of 2512 K. Increasing the excess air ratio improves combustion completeness and enlarges the high-temperature region; however, further increasing α from 1.15 to 1.20 provides only marginal thermal benefits while increasing sensible heat loss through the exhaust gas. Among the investigated operating conditions, β = 5° and α = 1.15 achieve the lowest outlet flue-gas specific enthalpy of 755 KJ/Kg.