FERROUS PRODUCTION-II

PREPARED BY: MR. TAYYAB TARIQ

(2008-MET-04)

DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING

UET, LAHORE.
QUESTIONS /ANSWERS

Q#1-What is a steel and how chemical composition of steel divides steel?

Ans: Steel is essentially a malleable alloy of iron and one or more of other elements like carbon,
chromium, nickel, vanadium, tungsten or almost any active element ( other than gas).

The chemical composition of steels broadly divides them into two major groups

1. Plain carbon steels

2. Alloy steels

The plain carbon steels are essentially alloy of iron and carbon only whereas, if one or more of elements
other than carbon are added to steel in significant amounts to ensure specific properties such as better
strength, ductility, electrical and magnetic properties, corrosion resistance and so on it is known as alloy
steel. These specially added elements are known as alloying additions in steels.

Q#2- what are the impurities in steel?

Ans: Steels may contain many other elements such as Al, Si, Mn, S, P, O etc. which are not added
specially for any specific purpose but are always present because of their association in the process of
iron and steel making and cannot be totally eliminated during the known process of iron and steel making.
These are known as impurities in steel. Every attempt is made to minimize them during the process of
steel making. For cheaper variety of steels their contents are at high level.

Q#3- How plain carbon steels are classified?

Ans: Plain carbon steels are broadly subdivided into four major types based on their carbon contents.
This division is definitely useful.

 Soft or low carbon steels up to 0.15%C

 Mild steels in the range 0.15-0.35%C
 Medium carbon steels in the range 0.35-0.65%C
 High carbon steels in the range 0.65-1.75%C

Q#4- How alloy steels are classified?

Ans: The alloy steels are broadly sub-divided into three groups on the basis of the total alloying elements
present.

 Low alloy steels up to 5% total alloying contents

 Medium alloy steels 5-10% total alloying contents
 High alloy steels above 10% total alloying contents
Q#5- Write down the applications of various steels.

Ans: Steels are very versatile in terms of their engineering properties. With appropriate thermo-
mechanical treatments properties of steels can be altered significantly to obtain variety of combinations of
mechanical, electrical and chemical properties. Very broadly in steels, hardness and strength increases
with carbon contents as well as alloying contents

Steels Applications
Mild steels Constructional
High carbon steels Cutting tools because of better hardness
Low carbon steels For the production of thin sheets, flats because of
better malleability

Q#6- What are the impurities in pig iron and in sponge iron?

Ans: In liquid state pig iron may contain inevitably several impurities like C, Si, P, Mn, S etc.

In solid state the sponge iron may contain the gangue oxides of the iron ore like Al 2O3, SiO2, CaO, MgO
etc as inevitably impurities.

Q#7- What are the steps of steel making?

Ans: Steel is produced from iron ores in minimum two stages

 Production of iron from iron ores by smelting and reduction

 Refining of molten iron

Q#8- What are the processes steps of steel making?

Ans: The overall process includes

1. Charge calculations
2. Melting
3. Refining
4. Finishing

Q#9- What are the products of steel plants?

Ans: The products of steel plants are in the form of structural shapes such as I-sections, channels,
angles, plates, rails, sheets, axles and wheels for railways, merchant products like rounds, hexagons,
squares, strips etc.
Q#10- What are the raw materials for steel making?

Ans: The chief raw materials for steel making are as follows

 Sources of metallic iron

 Oxidizing agents
 Fluxes
 Sources of heat
 Deoxidizers and alloying additions
 Furnace refractories

Q#11- What is meant by acid and basic iron?

Ans: If the iron contains less than 0.05% phosphorus then it is called acid iron or hematite or Swedish
iron. For this iron acid steel making process is adopted. If the iron contains more than 0.05% phosphorus
then it is called basic iron and basic steel making process is needed to refine this iron. A special category
of basic iron that contains more than 1.5% phosphorus is known as ‘Thomas iron’ and special basic steel
making process have been developed to refine this iron.

Q#12- What are the sources of metallic iron for steel making?

 Hot metal (pig iron)

 Sponge iron
 Mill scale (iron ore/oxides of iron)
 Steel scrap

Q#13- Write down the processes name of steel making?

Ans:

Steel making process Name

Conventional processes Bessemer, open hearth, electric arc steel
making.

Oxygen steel making processes LD, Kaldo, Rotor

Q#14- What are the oxidizing agents for steel making?

Ans: The oxidizing agents used for steel making are iron oxide, air and oxygen gas. Iron oxide is used in
the form of lumpy hematite ore and mill scale. Mill scale is the oxide of iron produced during hot
fabrication of steel and is readily available in an integrated steel plant.
Q#15- What is the purpose of flux in iron and steel making?

Ans: A flux is a substance added during smelting and refining

 To bring down the softening point of the gangue materials

 Reduce the viscosity of slag (increase the fluidity)
 To decrease the activity of some components to make it stable in the slag phase

Lime/limestone is generally added during steel making to make the slag basic enough to retain
phosphorus and sulphur. Fluorspar and bauxite are added to decrease the viscosity of refining slags.

Q#16- What are the sources of heat in steel making?

Ans: As the processes like Bessemer and the BOF’s are autogeneous since enough heat is generated
during refining by the exothermic oxidation of impurities. These processes need hot metal preferably of a
suitable composition, as a charge to run the process. The amount of heat generated is always more than
necessary so that scrap and iron ore is required to keep the bath temperature within required limits.

The sources of heat are

Chemical:

 Solid ………….. Pulverized fuel

 Liquid ………… oils, tar, etc
 Gas……………. Producer, water, coke oven, natural and blast furnace gasses

Electrical:

 Induction heating
 Resistance heating
 Arc heating

Q#17- What is sponge iron?

Ans: Sponge iron is a product obtained from direct reduction of iron ore. Direct reduction is carried out in
solid state and no fusion takes place. The oxygen in the iron ore is removed leaving void space and the
whole mass becomes porous and spongy. Hence it is referred to as sponge iron. It is also known as DRI
(direct reduced iron)

There are two processes for manufacture of sponge iron on the basis of reductant used. These are

 Coal based sponge iron using coal as reductant

 Gas-based sponge iron using natural gas as reductant

As a gangue materials present in the ore remains in the sponge, the volume of slag is usually larger when
a part of scrap is substituted by sponge iron.
Q#18-Differentiate between electric arc furnace and induction furnace.

Ans:

Electric arc furnace Induction furnace

It is a steel making unit It is steel melting unit
Graphite electrodes are used for heating charge Induction coil is used

Q#19- What are the major parts of Electric Arc Furnace?

Ans: The Electric Arc furnace has the three major parts

 Hearth
 Shell walls
 Roof

Q#20- What are the refractroies used in the Hearth, shell walls and Roof?

Ans: The hearth is lined with the dolomite refractory. The steps are

 First the fireclay bricks are provided against the steel shell of electric arc furnace for thermal
insulation
 Dolomite bricks are introduced and made the stadium type construction
 Finally the dolomite powder rammed on it

The shell is lined with magnesite-carbon bricks

The roof is lined with high alumina (fireclay) and silica bricks.

Q#21- What is the importance of carbon boil in Electric Arc Furnace?

Ans: When all the metallic charge is melted down then a basic slag is formed on the surface of molten
metal. The slag contains various oxides like FeO, CaO, SiO2, MnO, Al2O3 etc. The refining takes place
under the influence of this basic oxidizing slag. Fluorspar (CaF2) is added to maintain adequate fluidity in
the slag. Silicon is oxidized to silica which passes into the slag. Evolution of CO gas stirs the bath and the
phenomenon is known as carbon boil. Dephosphorization is favoured by a basic oxidizing slag. Fresh
lime and iron ore are charged to continue the refining reactions. As the carbon-oxygen reaction rate picks
up the intensity of the carbon boil also increases. The slag may froth. So the carbon boil in the electric arc
furnace refines the molten metal.
Q#22- Explain the phenomenon of diffusion deoxidation.

Ans: Those grades of steels which have a more sulphur specification a second reducing slag is usually
made after the first oxidizing slag. In order to form the reducing slag, the flux materials usually consist of
burnt lime, sand and fluorspar and pulverized coke is added to this slag. Under the influence of the arc
the following reaction takes place

CaO + 3C CaC2 + CO

A typical carbide slag is gray in colour and it disintegrates into powder on cooling. The formation of the
carbide in the slag may be verified by quenching a slag sample in water. The presence of carbide may be
detected by the typical smell of acetylene. The carbide helps to maintain a low oxygen potential in the
slag by a process known as diffusion deoxidation. It is well known that the iron oxide partition coefficient
kFeO = Fe/FeO is a constant at constant temperature. CaC2 reacts with FeO in the slag according to the
reaction

CaC2 + 2FeO CaO + Fe + 2CO

In diffusion deoxidation the product is CO gas which escapes from the system. The reducing slag favours
desulphurization according to the reaction

CaO + FeS CaS + FeO