CE 2101: Engineering Materials

PART –B [1.5 Credits]

Lecture 1

Rumana Afrin
Assistant Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, United International University
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum).
It is by mass the most common element on Earth, forming much of
Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the
earth crust.

✓Iron is obtained from Iron Ores.

✓Iron ores consist of compounds of iron and oxides of aluminum, silica, clay etc.
✓From iron ores, impure iron is obtained called pig iron.
✓Pig iron is not fit for any mechanical use and hence converted into Ferrous metals.
✓Ferrous metals are of three types: Wrought iron, Cast iron and Steel.
 Iron Production
Main Raw Materials
Iron Ores
✓Consists of Iron and oxides of Al, Si and Clay etc.
❑ Hematite[Fe2O3] : Yields 55 to 60 % iron
❑ Limonite [2Fe2O3.3H2O]: Yields 45% iron
❑ Magnetite[Fe3O4] : Yields 73% iron
❑Siderate [Fe2CO3] : Yields 40% iron
❑ Iron Pyrites [FeS2] : Yields 45% iron

Coke
✓Coal is crushed and pulverized and then kept in oven (12-36 hours) to remove
oil and tar.
✓The cooked coal is called coke.
✓Coke is a fuel with few impurities and a high carbon content.
✓Used for smelting ores in blast furnace.

Limestone (Ca2CO3)
✓Used to remove Si and alumina etc.
✓Used along with coke in blast furnace.
 Production Steps
1. Iron making
2. Smelting
3. Continuous casting
4. Rolling
5. Main product

1.A. Iron Making (Pig Iron)

✓Iron ores are mined and crushed
✓Then heated in blast furnace with coke and limestone
✓It removes oxygen chemically.
✓Physically convert iron oxides into liquid iron called “hot metal”
✓Pig iron remains with high carbon content.

Blast Furnace
Reactions
✓Preheated air is blown into the bottom of furnace.
✓Coke reacts with oxygen which generate heat. a) 3 Fe2O3 + CO = CO2 + 2 Fe3O4 Begins at 850° F
✓ Raw materials take 6 to 8 hours to form liquid iron and slag. b) Fe3O4 + CO = CO2 + 3 FeO Begins at 1100° F
c) FeO + CO = CO2 + Fe
✓Liquid products are drained from furnace at regular intervals. or
FeO + C = CO + Fe Begins at 1300° F
d ) CaCO3 = CaO + CO2 Begins at 1600° F
e) FeS + CaO + C = CaS + FeO + CO
B. Slag
✓The impurities in a molten pool of iron.
✓Limestone may be added to convert undesired elements to slag.
✓Slag is lighter than iron so float on the top.
✓Can be removed easily.

Composition of Slag
✓Lime 40-45%
✓Silica 30-35%
✓Alumina 10-12%
✓MgSO4, CaSO4, MnO 6-8%

Use of Slag
 2. Smelting
✓A refining furnace is used to burn off excess carbon.

a) Basic Oxygen Converter

b) Electric-Arc furnace method

3. Continuous casting
✓Continuous Casting is the process of solidification.
✓Molten steel is solidified into a "semi finished" billet,
bloom, or slab

4. Rolling
✓Method to give proper shape to the steel.
❑ Hot rolling
❑ cold rolling
✓Passing of the steel between two roller,
revolving at same speed but in opposite
directions.
✓It reduces thickness and lengthens the steel.
Hot rolled
✓Formed into shape while the metal is red-hot , at a high temperature (1700° F), which is
above the steel’s recrystallization temperature
✓As the steel passes through the last rollers, hot water is sprayed over it, forming a bluish
scale
✓The steel produced by this method is fairly uniform in quality
✓When the steel cools off it will shrink slightly thus giving less control on the size
and shape of the finished product when compared to cold rolled
✓Hot rolled bars of best quality are used to produce cold-finished steels

Cold rolled
✓Cold rolled steel is essentially hot rolled steel that has had further processing
✓Cold rolling occurs with the metal below its recrystallization temperature
(usually at room temperature), which increases the strength via strain hardening
up to 20%)
✓Has great accuracy, better surface finish, and certain mechanical properties are
needed.
Flow Chart of manufacturing Process
 5. Main Product (Semi finished steel)

Billet
✓Semi finished steel.
✓A billet is a length of metal that has a round or square cross-section
✓Has an area less than 36 in2 .
✓Used for long product i.e. bars, channels etc.

Bloom
✓Semi finished steel.
✓A slab is a length of metal that is rectangular in cross-section
✓Has an area greater than 36 in2 .

Slab
✓Semi finished steel.
✓A slab is a length of metal that is rectangular in cross-section
✓10 inch thick, 30-85 inches wide and 20 ft long.
Thank You