Volume 31, Number 1, January 2024 | Zhongliang Wang and Yanping Bao
The article "Development and Prospects of Molten Steel Deoxidation in Steelmaking Process" by Zhongliang Wang and Yanping Bao discusses the evolution and future trends of deoxidation technologies in steelmaking. The authors highlight the historical development of deoxidation methods, from early single-element deoxidation using silicon, manganese, or carbon to the introduction of aluminum deoxidation in the 1930s, which significantly reduced steel oxygen content to about $50 \times 10^{-6}$. Further advancements in the 1950s with vacuum degassing methods and the use of ladle refining, injection metallurgy, and wire feeding technology in the 1960s to 1990s further lowered the oxygen content to $10 \times 10^{-6}$. Today, with refined deoxidation control and advanced technologies, the total oxygen content in steel can be stably controlled below $5 \times 10^{-6}$.
The authors also introduce innovative deoxidation technologies, such as the combination of silicon-manganese predeoxidation, ladle furnace diffusion deoxidation, and vacuum final deoxidation, which have been successfully applied to produce interstitial-free steel with natural decarbonization predeoxidation. This technology effectively controls the oxygen content in bearing steel to between $4 \times 10^{-6}$ and $8 \times 10^{-6}$, improving the steel's flowability and fatigue life while reducing aluminum consumption and production costs.
The article concludes by emphasizing the need for new deoxidation technologies to achieve rapid, low-cost, and environmentally friendly deoxidation, particularly for ultra-low-oxygen content steels, to further enhance steel performance and meet stringent quality standards.The article "Development and Prospects of Molten Steel Deoxidation in Steelmaking Process" by Zhongliang Wang and Yanping Bao discusses the evolution and future trends of deoxidation technologies in steelmaking. The authors highlight the historical development of deoxidation methods, from early single-element deoxidation using silicon, manganese, or carbon to the introduction of aluminum deoxidation in the 1930s, which significantly reduced steel oxygen content to about $50 \times 10^{-6}$. Further advancements in the 1950s with vacuum degassing methods and the use of ladle refining, injection metallurgy, and wire feeding technology in the 1960s to 1990s further lowered the oxygen content to $10 \times 10^{-6}$. Today, with refined deoxidation control and advanced technologies, the total oxygen content in steel can be stably controlled below $5 \times 10^{-6}$.
The authors also introduce innovative deoxidation technologies, such as the combination of silicon-manganese predeoxidation, ladle furnace diffusion deoxidation, and vacuum final deoxidation, which have been successfully applied to produce interstitial-free steel with natural decarbonization predeoxidation. This technology effectively controls the oxygen content in bearing steel to between $4 \times 10^{-6}$ and $8 \times 10^{-6}$, improving the steel's flowability and fatigue life while reducing aluminum consumption and production costs.
The article concludes by emphasizing the need for new deoxidation technologies to achieve rapid, low-cost, and environmentally friendly deoxidation, particularly for ultra-low-oxygen content steels, to further enhance steel performance and meet stringent quality standards.