Separation of electrically neutral non-metallic inclusions from molten steel by pulsed electric current

摘要

Effect of a pulsed electric current on the distribution of Al2O3 inclusions in liquid steel is explored; these inclusions ranged in size from micrometres to nanometres. When no electric current was applied, the inclusions were randomly distributed in the steel. However, when an electric current was applied, the inclusions were found in highly populated regions near the various interfaces. Moreover, this process applies to a wide range of inclusion diameters, in contrast to conventional inclusion removal methods which tend to apply to larger (>20 mu m) particles only. Consequently, the application of pulsed electric current provides a method of removing inclusions from the steel and thereby improving the mechanical, physical and corrosion resistance properties of the steel.