Description
Abstract: Gas blowing is often carried out as a refining process in steel making using a device called porous plug mainly to homogenize the components of the molten steel. Penetration of the steel into the porous plug material during interval of the blowing with resulting in clogging of pores in the plug is factor determining the performance and life of the plug. Thus, anti-penetration property of the materials for 3 types of the porous plug with different microstructure made of alumina grains was evaluated using a testing fixture capable of vacuum suction of the molten steel through the specimen of the porous material. Then, the properties of the plugs were discussed by correlating the results of characterization of the pore size distribution of the specimen using both mercury porosimeter and capillary flow porometer in conjunction with a fractal dimension analysis using the data of the mercury porosimeter.
Authors: Akifumi Takeuchi, Tatsuya Oouchi, Kastumi Morikawa, and Hatsuo Taira
Keywords: Porous Plug, Gas Blowing, Molten Steel, Pore Analysis, Fractal Dimension, Anti-Penetration Property