Solidification Behavior of Calcium Ferrite Under Ultrasonic Vibration

Ultrasonic vibration was applied to the solidification process of calcium ferrite (CF) to modify the grain size and improve the homogeneity of the solidified microstructure. The effects of ultrasound on microstructure, density, compressive strength, and reducibility were studied. The acoustic pressure decreased and then increased along the axis symmetry due to the attenuation of acoustic pressure and reflection of ultrasonic waves in the melt under a fixed power. When the ultrasonic power was increased, the general acoustic pressure increased, which was beneficial to the avoidance of macropores and to improvement of the microstructure. Coarse acicular CF grains were significantly refined; the grain size decreased from 1967 to 442 μm when the ultrasonic power was increased from 0 to 300 W. The density of the samples increased from 4370 to 4680 kg/m³ due to cavitation and acoustic streaming effects. Ultrasonic vibration greatly improved the ultimate compressive strength of CF; the values were 41.8 ± 2.1 to 67.3 ± 3.4 MPa for ultrasonic powers of 100 to 300 W, respectively. Without ultrasonic treatment, it was only 37.4 ± 1.9 MPa. Ultrasonic vibration also influenced the reduction time of CF due to the composition segregation in the slag during solidification.