TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating the Origin of Non-Metallic Inclusions in Ti-Stabilized ULC Steels Using Different Tracing Techniques
AU - Thiele, Kathrin
AU - Truschner, Christoph
AU - Walkner, Christoph
AU - Meisel, Thomas C.
AU - Ilie, Sergiu
AU - Rössler, Roman
AU - Michelic, Susanne Katharina
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/1/15
Y1 - 2024/1/15
N2 - Since steel cleanness comes to the fore of steel producers worldwide, it is necessary to understand the formation mechanism and modification of non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) in more detail. One central point is the identification of the source of especially interfering NMIs to prevent their evolution in the future. The present study applies two approaches to determine the source of NMIs in Ti-stabilized ultra-low carbon (ULC) steels—the active and the passive tracing. Both approaches are applied to an industrial experiment. The active tracing technique is focused on investigating the clogging layer formation in submerged entry nozzles and, hence, the origin of alumina particles. This method adds rare earth elements (REEs) directly to the melt to mark pre-existing deoxidation products at a certain point of the steelmaking process. The main concern of the passive method, the so-called REE fingerprint, is the determination of the source of mesoscopic NMIs. For the REE fingerprint, the pre-existing concentration of REEs in different potential sources and the investigated NMIs are measured by using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The resulting patterns are compared after normalizing the contents to chondrites, and the NMIs’ origins are identified. Concerning the EDS analysis and the resulting patterns from the REE fingerprint, the mold slag and, respectively, the casting powder were the sources of the investigated NMIs.
AB - Since steel cleanness comes to the fore of steel producers worldwide, it is necessary to understand the formation mechanism and modification of non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) in more detail. One central point is the identification of the source of especially interfering NMIs to prevent their evolution in the future. The present study applies two approaches to determine the source of NMIs in Ti-stabilized ultra-low carbon (ULC) steels—the active and the passive tracing. Both approaches are applied to an industrial experiment. The active tracing technique is focused on investigating the clogging layer formation in submerged entry nozzles and, hence, the origin of alumina particles. This method adds rare earth elements (REEs) directly to the melt to mark pre-existing deoxidation products at a certain point of the steelmaking process. The main concern of the passive method, the so-called REE fingerprint, is the determination of the source of mesoscopic NMIs. For the REE fingerprint, the pre-existing concentration of REEs in different potential sources and the investigated NMIs are measured by using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The resulting patterns are compared after normalizing the contents to chondrites, and the NMIs’ origins are identified. Concerning the EDS analysis and the resulting patterns from the REE fingerprint, the mold slag and, respectively, the casting powder were the sources of the investigated NMIs.
KW - Non-metallic inclusions
KW - tracing techniques
KW - rare earth elements
KW - rare earth element fingerprint
KW - non-metallic inclusions
KW - rare earth element fingerprint
KW - rare earth elements
KW - tracing techniques
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183352345&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/met14010103
DO - 10.3390/met14010103
M3 - Article
SN - 2075-4701
VL - 14.2024
JO - Metals : open access journal
JF - Metals : open access journal
IS - 1
M1 - 103
ER -