Abstract
Chromium is normally added to liquid alloy in the form of different grades of ferrochromium (FeCr) alloys for the requirement of different alloy grades, such as stainless steels, high Cr cast iron, etc.. In this work, inclusions in two commercially produced alloys, i.e., high-carbon ferrochromium (HCFeCr) and low-carbon ferrochromium (LCFeCr) alloys, were investigated. The FeCr alloy/liquid iron interactions at an early stage were investigated by inserting solid alloy piece into contact with the liquid iron for a predetermined time using the liquid-metal-suction method. After quenching these samples, a diffusion zone between the alloys and the liquid Fe was studied based on the microstructural characterizations. It was observed that Cr-O-(Fe) inclusions were formed in the diffusion zone, FeOx inclusions were formed in the bulk Fe, and an “inclusion-free” zone was detected between them. Moreover, it was found that the HCFeCr was slowly dissolved, but LCFeCr alloy was rapidly melted during the experiment. The dissolution and melting behaviors of these two FeCr alloys were compared and the mechanism of the early-stage dissolution process of FeCr alloys in the liquid Fe was proposed.
Highlights
CHROMIUM (Cr) is one of the vital importance alloying element in the steelmaking process since it enhances the hardness, hardenability, corrosion, abrasion, and wear resistance of the final product.[1]
Different grades of FeCr alloys are selected for the alloying process according to the carbon content requirement of the final product, i.e., high-carbon ferrochromium (HCFeCr, 4 to 8 mass pct C), medium-carbon ferrochrome (MCFeCr 0.5 to 4 mass pct C), and low-carbon ferrochromium (LCFeCr,< 0.5 mass pct C) alloys.[2]
From this point of view, the inclusions in the investigated LCFeCr alloys are more harmful to the steel cleanliness than those in the HCFeCr alloys since they have relatively higher melting points, larger size ranges, and less time to be removed from the liquid steel before casting
Summary
CHROMIUM (Cr) is one of the vital importance alloying element in the steelmaking process since it enhances the hardness, hardenability, corrosion, abrasion, and wear resistance of the final product.[1]. An important factor that should be focused on is the yield ratio of the alloying element after the ferrous alloys addition process This can be significantly influenced by the interactions between the ferroalloys and the liquid iron or steel.[4] thorough knowledge of the dissolution behavior of alloying agents is required to control the alloying process precisely. It is important to know the kinetics of the added alloying agents dissolve in the liquid steel because the dissolution behavior influences the homogeneity of the melt, as well as inclusion formations and transformations.[5] Several researchers have investigated the early stage dissolution behavior of different ferroalloys.[4,6,7,8,9] not enough attention has been paid to the interfacial processes between FeCr alloys and liquid iron and steel so far. The focus is to understand the initial dissolution phenomenon of FeCr alloys in the liquid Fe as well as the behavior of inclusion formations at the early stages of FeCr alloying
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