China Ferroalloy Manufacturing Corporation

In a broad sense, ferroalloy refers to a product that is added to molten iron as a deoxidizer, element additive, etc. to make the steel have certain characteristics or meet certain requirements during steelmaking. An intermediate alloy composed of iron and one or several elements, mainly used in steel smelting.
In the steel industry, all intermediate alloys used in steelmaking, whether containing iron or not (such as silicon-calcium alloys), are generally called "ferroalloys".
production method:
According to equipment: blast furnace method, submerged arc furnace method, electric arc furnace method, outside furnace method, vacuum resistance furnace method, oxygen converter method. According to process characteristics: solvent-free method and solvent method.
According to the heat source: carbothermal method, electrothermal method, electrosilicothermal method, metal thermal method. Basic equipment: The mechanical equipment of the submerged arc furnace is relatively complex. In addition to the furnace body, attention should be paid to the electrode holder system, electrode pressing and releasing device, click lifting system, feeding system, tapping equipment, protective equipment, electrode water cooling system, and power supply equipment.
Ferro alloys are generally used for:
1. Deoxidizer: removes oxygen from molten steel during the steelmaking process. Some ferroalloys can also remove other impurities in steel such as sulfur, nitrogen, etc.
2. Alloy additives: According to the composition requirements of the steel type, alloy elements are added to the steel to improve the properties of the steel.
3. Inoculant: Added to molten iron before casting to improve the crystal structure of the casting.
4. Reducing agent: Reducing agent for producing other ferrous alloys and non-ferrous metals by metal thermal reduction method;
5. Alloy additives for non-ferrous alloys; also used in small amounts in the chemical industry and other industries.
nature
The main elements of iron alloys generally have high melting points, and the oxides are difficult to reduce, making it difficult to refine pure metals. It is advantageous to add iron alloys in steel smelting because they are easy to melt in molten steel. Therefore, most of the deoxidation and alloy additions during steelmaking are in the form of ferroalloys. Ferrous alloys are generally very brittle and cannot be used as metallic materials.
Uses of ferroalloys
Iron alloy is an alloy in which one or more metal or non-metal elements are fused together. It is not a metal material that can be used directly, but is mainly used as an intermediate raw material for deoxidizers and alloying agents in steel production.
(1) Used as deoxidizer. Steelmaking uses oxidation to remove impurities such as carbon and phosphorus from molten iron. After completing these oxidation tasks, oxygen is also absorbed into the molten steel. If this oxygen exists in the steel, it will greatly reduce the performance of the steel. Therefore, it is necessary to add some elements that have a strong binding force with oxygen and whose deoxidation products can be smoothly eliminated from the molten steel, thereby reducing the oxygen content in the molten steel. This process is called deoxidation of steel. The elements or alloys used for deoxidation are called deoxidizers. Commonly used deoxidizers include manganese, silicon, aluminum, etc. These elements are mostly added to the molten steel in the form of iron alloys Fe-Mn, Fe-Si and Al. The stronger the ability of the element to combine with oxygen, the higher the content in the steel, and the better the deoxidation effect.
(2) Used as alloy agent. Alloying elements can not only reduce the content of impurities in steel, but also adjust the chemical composition of steel. The elements or alloys used to adjust the chemical composition of steel to alloy steel are called alloying agents. Commonly used alloying elements include silicon, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, tungsten, cobalt, boron, niobium, etc. Different alloying elements and steel grades with different alloying element contents have different properties and uses.
(3) Improving the casting process and casting properties = Iron platform metal can also be used as an additive in the foundry industry to improve the casting process and casting properties.
(4) As a reducing agent: Ferrosilicon can be used as a reducing agent for the production of ferromolybdenum, ferrovanadium and other iron alloys. Silicon-chromium alloy and silicon-manganese alloy can be used as reducing agents for refined ferrochromium and refined ferromanganese respectively.
(5) Iron metal is also widely used in other industries. For example, ferrosilicon powder can be used as an additive in electrode coatings in the welding industry. In the mineral processing industry, ferrosilicon powder can be used as a suspending agent, and in the electronics industry, high-purity industrial silicon can be used as silicon transistors after some processing. Two alloy elements are fused together to make Cr20Ni80 high-temperature resistance wire, etc.