Agglomeration Behavior of Nonmetallic Particles on the Surface of Si-Killed Liquid Steel Using HT-CSLM
An In Situ Investigation
Suwam Kumar (McMaster University)
Muhammad Nabeel (McMaster University)
Angshuman Podder (McMaster University)
Andre B. Phillion (McMaster University)
N.D. Dogan (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)
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Abstract
While extensive research has focused on the agglomeration of Al (Formula presented.) O (Formula presented.) inclusions in low-carbon, Al-killed steels, the behavior of non-Al (Formula presented.) O (Formula presented.) inclusions in Si- and Si/Mn-killed steels remains poorly understood—despite their widespread industrial use and importance for steel cleanliness. This study investigates the in situ agglomeration of semisolid Al–silicate inclusions in Si-killed steel using high-temperature confocal scanning laser microscopy. Particle velocity, acceleration, and attractive forces at the steel/argon interface were measured directly. A modified capillary interaction model, based on the Kralchevsky–Paunov framework, was applied to calculate interparticle forces and showed good agreement with experimental results. Compared to Al (Formula presented.) O (Formula presented.) inclusions in Al-killed steel, Al–silicate inclusions exhibited significantly weaker attractive forces (10 (Formula presented.) to 10 (Formula presented.) N) and a shorter interaction range (∼34 µm), indicating a lower tendency to agglomerate. These findings highlight key differences in inclusion behavior between steel types and confirm the model's applicability to semisolid systems.
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