The behavior of ZrO2 in contact with molten iron at high temperatures

Abstract

It is shown that in a system of molten Fe(Cr, Ni) and zirconia in an atmosphere of argon at temperatures of up to about 2900 K no chemical reaction occurs; still, at 2510 – 2700 K, zirconia converts to a viscous mobile mass that is expelled to float by the heavier molten metal. It is suggested that this behavior is associated with the partial reduction of zirconia to a nonstoichiometric state ZrO2 – x. Movement of the molten metal in the crucible is discussed allowing for the specific energy distribution in a high-frequency field.