Investigation of Influence of Silicon Carbide Phase and Chemical Composition on its Recovery

When employing the cast iron manufacturing technology involving the use of silicon carbide, it was discovered that recovery of silicon carbide and that of its individual elements, viz., carbon and silicon varied. Based on the results obtained from a diffraction analysis and electron microscope investigation with electron microprobe analysis, the genuine structural and chemical features of industrial-grade silicon carbide were described. The phase composition of silicon carbide is inhomogeneous and consists of particles of the a-SiC crystalline silicon carbide and oxidized non-crystalline silicon carbide whose basis is a solid solution “carbon-silicon”. Recovery of silicon carbide by molten cast iron determined by the increase in the contents of carbon and silicon during the melting process is inversely on the content of the a-SiC phase.