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Characteristics of inclusions in high-Al steel during electroslag remelting process

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Abstract

The characteristics of inclusions in high-Al steel refined by electroslag remelting (ESR) were investigated by image analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The results show that the size of almost all the inclusions observed in ESR ingots is less than 5 μm. Inclusions smaller than 3 μm take nearly 75% of the total inclusions observed in each ingot. Inclusions observed in ESR ingots are pure AlN as dominating precipitates and some fine spherical Al2O3 inclusions with a size of 1 μm or less. It is also found that protective gas operation and slag deoxidation treatment during ESR process have significant effects on the number of inclusions smaller than 2 μm but little effects on that of inclusions larger than 2 μm. Thermodynamic calculations show that AlN inclusions are unable to precipitate in the liquid metal pool under the present experimental conditions, while the precipitation of AlN inclusions could take place at the solidifying front due to the microsegregation of Al and N in liquid steel during solidification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Cheng-bin Shi & Han-jie Guo

  2. School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Cheng-bin Shi & Han-jie Guo

  3. Research Institute of High Temperature Materials, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute, Beijing, 100081, China

    Xi-chun Chen

Authors
  1. Cheng-bin Shi
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  2. Xi-chun Chen
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  3. Han-jie Guo
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Correspondence to Han-jie Guo.

Additional information

This work was financially supported by the International Science and Technology Cooperation and Exchange of Special Projects (No. 2010DFR50590).]

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Shi, Cb., Chen, Xc. & Guo, Hj. Characteristics of inclusions in high-Al steel during electroslag remelting process. Int J Miner Metall Mater 19, 295–302 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-012-0554-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-012-0554-x

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