Applications of Powder Metallurgy to the Production of Recycled-Iron-and-Aluminum Deoxidation Briquettes for In-Ladle Use

Abstract

Enhancement of product quality and reduction of production costs/energy consumption/environmental impact for steel smelted in arc furnaces both require improvements to out-of-furnace or ladle processing, and deoxidation in particular. A production process was developed for deoxidation briquettes based on the requirement that they be highly transportable and suitable for long-term storage while complying with deoxidation efficiency specifications (deoxidizer utilization, concentration of non-metallic inclusions, and duration of deoxidation process). We show that steel deoxidation briquettes meeting shape and density requirements can be produced using powder metallurgy technology. Such briquettes provide improved entrainment with the steel during the mixing process, meaning that the briquette components are able to melt more thoroughly as they are absorbed by the molten metal.