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Special porous plugs for the production of super clean steels
Author(s) -
Gotsis Vassilios S.,
Angelopoulos George N.,
Papamantellos Demetrios C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
steel research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1869-344X
pISSN - 0177-4832
DOI - 10.1002/srin.200100107
Subject(s) - metallurgy , porosity , steelmaking , magnesium , chemistry , materials science , composite material
Fine bubblers to be used as special porous plugs (SPP), have been devised for fine bubbling within steel melts for improving the cleanliness efficiently by floating the micro‐inclusions and removing the dissolved gases. The development principles of the magnesia‐spinel porous plugs are presented. Laboratory water simulator tests have shown that small (< 1 mm), non‐coagulating bubbles, with uniform distribution are formed. The characterisation and testing of the SPP has shown that under steelmaking conditions clogging from metal infiltration is limited. Erosion, cracking or changes in microstructure were not detected in high temperature long‐term endurance tests. With combined treatment in a vacuum induction furnace under a 3 kPa pressure and Ar purging of 18 min through the new SPP, the total oxygen content of the steel melt was decreased from 65 to 7.7 ppm. An application has been filed for a patent for the method for the production of fine bubblers to be used as porous plugs