METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Making Metals
1. Where metals come from?

2. Ancient Metallurgy

3. Extractive Metallurgy

4. Overview of steelmaking

5. Blast furnace

6. Basic oxygen furnace

7. Modern Steelmaking Mill Practice

• Electric furnace
• Secondary refining methods

8. Cleanliness standards

9. Other melting practices

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 1

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

How do we get metals?

Earth density = 5.2 g/cc
Core density = 8 g/cc

Most metal
sank to core
during early
earh.

Metal in crust Fe22O33 == hematite(rust)

and mantle
oxidzed .
Fe33O44 == magnetite

Metals must
be recovered
by smelting
to convert
oxides back
to metals.

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 2

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Generally follows the increased ability to generate heat & melt

oxides.

Use of charcoal
Note the bellows that
instead
injected
of wood Use of stone furnace
air into the furnace.
increases
Air reacts
heat. concentrates heat.
with charcoal to create carbon
monoxide and increase heat
even further.

Wood burning fire

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 3

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Softer core that absorbs impact

Step 5 A brick furnace is

Step
made
2 and
Step 4
1 Step 3 Hard steel case that can be sharpened to cut
charcoal as well as iron oreTwo
is types of metal come
filled and heated. The iron ore
out: one soft and easily
A U-shaped channel is made on
is not molten and carbon is malleable & one very hard.
the high carbon steel & the low
retained. Low cabon/high carbon
carbon steel is inserted down
the center of the channel.
The blade is further forged to
weld together the two
complementing steels. A high
carbon outer case giving the
blade its cutting ability and a
soft core allowing the blade to
Material is hammered to removeabsorb energy
impurities. and hence have
This
toughness.
step allows the high and low carbon material to be
separated.
RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 4
 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Damascus Steel – Ancient Indian Tamil Metallurgy

1. Glass melts to protect melt

from oxygen.
Charcoal
2. Leaves add hydrogen which
accelerates carburization of
glass iron.

3. The result is a high carbon

steel with residual elements
Leaves which form carbides.

Low carbon
iron

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 5

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Overview of Steelmaking Process

Beneficiation:
Ore crushing &
separation

Separation is done by
Blast Furnace: gravity, similar to the
process of gold panning
Recovery of Iron

Basic Oxygen Furnace: The Beneficiation step crushes the rocks that
has been mined & begins separating the metal
Recovery of Iron ore from the other non-metals

Secondary Alternatives:
Electric Furnace/Vacuum Degassing

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 6

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Steel Making Flowchart

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 7

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Schematic of a Blast Furnace

= Pig Iron (hot metal)

90-95% Fe
4 to 4.5% C

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/blast_furnace/index_embed.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/blast_furnace/index_embed.shtml

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 8

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Basic Oxygen Furnace

From Blast Oxygen oxidizes
1. Less that
Furnace carbon & silicon
generating heat.
an hour to
make a
High carbon pig iron is heat.
From Blast processed to remove the
Furnace carbon.
Steel2. Up
from toBOF
the 300often
ton heats &
needs further degassing
alloy additions.
Basic refers to
furnace lining
that reacts with
melt to remove
impurities.

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 9

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Cameron Preferred Melt Practice

Carbon & Stainless Steels
AOD VOD
1. Decarburization
1. Decarburization
2. Reduction
2. Reduction
3. Degassing
3. Degassing
4. Desulfurization
4. Desulfurization
The use of argon dilutes
Vacuum in this case
the oxygen to prevent the
accomplishes the same
oxidation of reactive
thing as the argon by
elements like chromium.
Electric Arc Steelmaking reducing the partial
pressure.

1. 3 to 8 hours to make a heat. Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization

VOD

2. Heats up to 200 tons

3. Best control, most often used

for steels.
Forging
billet

Argon Oxygen Decarburization

AOD Refining

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 10

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

An Example of Micro-cleanliness Requirements of

Steels

INCLUSIONS
TYPE THIN HEAVY
A (sulfide) 1.0 0.5
B (aluminate) 1.5 1.0
C (silicate) 1.0 1.0
D (globular
oxides) 2.0 1.0

Inclusions are a result of melt practice and affect the

fatigue and related performance of the steels. Shown here
are some acceptance criteria according to ASTM E45.

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 11

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Continuous Casting

Con -Cast billets are an

important raw material for
riser bolts & bolts in
general.

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 12

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

Melting of CRA Type Alloys

ElectroSlag Melting:
Metallurgical advantages are:
Melting performed under a layer
of slag, which advantages
Metallurgical further
1. Further removal of dissolved
are:
protects the volatilegases
1. Oxygen free atmosphere
elements in the composition
2. Removal of trace Removal
2. elementsof trace elements
with
and ensures cleanliness.
with high vapor pressures
high vapor pressures
3. Improvement
3. Removal of dissolved gases of oxide
cleanliness
4. Adjustment of composition.

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 13

 METALLURGY DEPARTMENT

RAISING PERFORMANCE. TOGETHERTM 14