Optimization of strand and final electromagnetic stirrers of round bloom casters with multiple sections

Strand electromagnetic stirring (S-EMS) and final electromagnetic stirring (F-EMS) are the main methods used to improve the center porosity and segregation for round blooms. To optimize the stirring conditions, nail shooting tests were conducted for three sections of large round blooms with diameters of ?380 mm, ?450 mm, and ?600 mm. Acid leaching and sulfur print tests were used to investigate the shell thickness. Based on the results of nail shooting tests, a mathematical model of solidification was established, and the variation of shell thickness and the central solid fraction were exactly calculated by the model. By taking all sections into account, the locations of S-EMS and F-EMS were optimized for each section. In the results, the macro-segregation of various sections is improved after the locations of S-EMS and F-EMS systems are changed.     

Conductive and corrosion behaviors of silver-doped carbon-coated stainless steel as PEMFC bipolar plates

Ni–Cr enrichment on stainless steel SS316L resulting from chemical activation enabled the deposition of carbon by spraying a stable suspension of carbon nanoparticles; trace Ag was deposited in situ to prepare a thin continuous Ag-doped carbon film on a porous carbon-coated SS316L substrate. The corrosion resistance of this film in 0.5 mol·L-1 H₂SO₄ solution containing 5 ppm F- at 80℃ was investigated using polarization tests. The results showed that the surface treatment of the SS316L strongly affected the adhesion of the carbon coating to the stainless steel. Compared to the bare SS316L, the Ag-doped carbon-coated SS316L bipolar plate was remarkably more stable in both the anode and cathode environments of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and the interface contact resistance between the specimen and Toray 060 carbon paper was reduced from 333.0 mΩ·cm2 to 21.6 mΩ·cm2 at a compaction pressure of 1.2 MPa.     

Leaching of vanadium,sodium, and silicon from molten V-Ti-bearing slag obtained from low-grade vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite

The water leaching process of vanadium, sodium, and silicon from molten vanadium-titanium-bearing (V-Ti-bearing) slag obtained from low-grade vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite was investigated systematically. The results show that calcium titanate, sodium aluminosilicate, sodium oxide, silicon dioxide and sodium vanadate are the major components of the molten V-Ti-bearing slag. The experimental results indicate that the liquid-solid (L/S) mass ratio significantly affects the leaching process because of the respective solubilities and diffusion rates of the components. A total of 83.8% of vanadium, 72.8% of sodium, and 16.1% of silicon can be leached out via a triple counter-current leaching process under the optimal conditions of a particle size below 0.074 mm, a temperature of 90°C, a leaching time of 20 min, an L/S mass ratio of 4:1, and a stirring speed of 300 r/min. The kinetics of vanadium leaching is well described by an internal diffusion-controlled model and the apparent activation energy is 11.1 kJ/mol. The leaching mechanism of vanadium was also analyzed.     

Effects of Fe content on the microstructure and properties of CuNi10FeMn1 alloy tubes fabricated by HCCM horizontal continuous casting

Heating-cooling combined mold (HCCM) horizontal continuous casting technology developed by our research group was used to produce high axial columnar-grained CuNi10FeMn1 alloy tubes with different Fe contents. The effects of Fe content (1.08wt%–2.01wt%) on the microstructure, segregation, and flushing corrosion resistance in simulated flowing seawater as well as the mechanical properties of the alloy tubes were investigated. The results show that when the Fe content is increased from 1.08wt% to 2.01wt%, the segregation degree of Ni and Fe elements increases, and the segregation coefficient of Ni and Fe elements falls from 0.92 to 0.70 and from 0.92 to 0.63, respectively. With increasing Fe content, the corrosion rate of the alloy decreases initially and then increases. When the Fe content is 1.83wt%, the corrosion rate approaches the minimum and dense, less-defect corrosion films, which contain rich Ni and Fe elements, form on the surface of the alloy; these films effectively protect the α-matrix and reduce the corrosion rate. When the Fe content is increased from 1.08wt% to 2.01wt%, the tensile strength of the alloy tube increases from 204 MPa to 236 MPa, while the elongation to failure changes slightly about 46%, indicating the excellent workability of the CuNi10FeMn1 alloy tubes.     

Effect of shot peening on hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steel

The effect of shot peening (SP) on hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steel was investigated by electrochemical hydrogen charging, slow strain rate tensile tests, and hydrogen permeation tests. Microstructure observation, microhardness, and X-ray diffraction residual stress studies were also conducted on the steel. The results show that the shot peening specimens exhibit a higher resistance to hydrogen embrittlement in comparison with the no shot peening (NSP) specimens under the same hydrogen-charging current density. In addition, SP treatment sharply decreases the apparent hydrogen diffusivity and increases the subsurface hydrogen concentration. These findings are attributed to the changes in microstructure and compressive residual stress in the surface layer by SP. Scanning electron microscope fractographs reveal that the fracture surface of the NSP specimen exhibits the intergranular and quasi-cleavage mixed fracture modes, whereas the SP specimen shows only the quasi-cleavage fractures under the same hydrogen charging conditions, implying that the SP treatment delays the onset of intergranular fracture.     

Fracture behavior and microstructure analysis of Al2O3–MgO–CaO castables for steel-ladle purging plugs

Three different castables based on the Al₂O₃–MgO–CaO system were prepared as steel-ladle purging plug refractories: corundum- based low-cement castable (C-LCC), corundum-spinel-based low-cement castable (C-S-LCC), and corundum-spinel no-cement castable (C-S-NCC) (hydratable alumina (ρ-Al₂O₃) bonded). The fracture behavior at room temperature was tested by the method of “wedge-splitting” on samples pre-fired at different temperatures; the specific fracture energy G′_f and notched tensile strength σ_NT were obtained from these tests. In addition, the Young’s modulus E was measured by the method of resonance frequency of damping analysis (RFDA). The thermal stress resistance parameter R′′′′ calculated using the values of G′_f, σ_NT, and E was used to evaluate the thermal shock resistance of the materials. According to the microstructure analysis results, the sintering effect and the bonding type of the matrix material were different among these three castables, which explains their different fracture behaviors.     

Effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue properties of alloy steels

This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress amplitude, high stress ratio, and high frequency in the high-temperature environments in which they function as blade and rotor spindle materials in advanced gas or steam turbine engines. Fatigue tests were performed on alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo subjected to constant-amplitude loading at four stress ratios and at four and three temperatures, respectively, to determine their temperature-dependent HCF properties. The interaction mechanisms between high temperature and stress ratio were deduced and compared with each other on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. A phenomenological model was developed to evaluate the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent HCF properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.     

Microstructure evolution and thixoforming behavior of 7075 aluminum alloy in the semi-solid state prepared by RAP method

The effects of isothermal treatments on the microstructural evolution and coarsening rate of semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy produced via the recrystallization and partial remelting (RAP) process were investigated. Samples of 7075 aluminum alloy were subjected to cold extrusion, and semi-solid treatment was carried out for 5–30 min at temperatures ranging from 580 to 605°C. A backward-extrusion experiment was conducted to investigate liquid segregation during the thixoforming process. The results revealed that obvious grain coarsening and spheroidization occurred during prolonged isothermal treatments. In addition, higher soaking temperatures promoted the spheroidization and coarsening process because of the increased liquid fraction and the melting of second phases. Segregation of the liquid phase caused by the difference in fluidity between the liquid and the solid phases was observed in different regions of the thixoformed specimens.     

Thermodynamic simulation of the effect of slag chemistry on the corrosion behavior of alumina–chromia refractory

The corrosion behavior of alumina–chromia refractory against two kinds of industrial slags (coal slag and iron smelting slag) at 1550°C was investigated via thermodynamic simulations. In the proposed simulation model, the initial slag first attacks the matrix and surface aggregates and subsequently attacks the inner aggregates. The simulation results indicate that the slag chemistry strongly affects the phase formation and corrosion behavior of the refractory brick. Greater amounts of alumina were dissolved and spinel solid phases formed when the brick interacted with iron smelting slag. These phenomena, as well as the calculated lower viscosity, may lead to much deeper penetration than that exhibited by coal slag and to more severe corrosion compared to that induced by coal slag. The thermodynamic calculations well match the experimental observations, demonstrating the efficiency of the proposed simulation model for evaluating the corrosion behavior of alumina–chromia refractory.     

Effect of SrCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> addition on the dynamic compressive strength of ZTA

Ceramic parts usually experience dynamic load in armor applications. Therefore, studying the dynamic behaviors of ceramics is important. Limited data are available on the dynamic behaviors of ceramics; thus, it is helpful to predict the dynamic strength of ceramics on the basis of their mechanical properties. In this paper, the addition of SrCO₃ into zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) was demonstrated to improve the fracture toughness of ZTA due to the formation of the SrAl₁₂O₁₉ (SA6) phase. The porosity of ZTA was found to be increased by the addition of SrCO₃. These newly formed pores served as the nucleation sites of cracks under dynamic load; these cracks eventually coalesced to form damaged zones in the samples. Although the K IC values of the samples were improved, the dynamic strength was not enhanced because of the increase in porosity; in fact, the dynamic strength of ZTA ceramics decreased with the addition of SrCO₃.