Fluoride evaporation and crystallization behavior of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–(TiO2) slag for electroslag remelting of Ti-containing steels

Abstract

To elucidate the behavior of slag films in an electroslag remelting process, the fluoride evaporation and crystallization of CaF2-CaO-Al2O3-(TiO2) slags were studied using the single hot thermocouple technique. The crystallization mechanism of TiO2-bearing slag was identified based on kinetic analysis. The fluoride evaporation and incubation time of crystallization in TiO2-free slag are found to considerably decrease with decreasing isothermal temperature down to 1503 K. Fish-bone and flower-like CaO crystals precipitate in TiO2-free slag melt, which is accompanied by CaF2 evaporation from slag melt above 1503 K. Below 1503 K, only near-spherical CaF2 crystals form with an incubation time of less than 1 s, and the crystallization is completed within 1 s. The addition of 8.1wt% TiO2 largely prevents the fluoride evaporation from slag melt and promotes the slag crystallization. TiO2 addition leads to the precipitation of needle-like perovskite (CaTiO3) crystals instead of CaO crystals in the slag. The crystallization of perovskite (CaTiO3) occurs by bulk nucleation and diffusion-controlled one-dimensional growth.