Developing Recipe from Local Ceramic Raw Materials for Making Crucibles in Ghana

The study experimented with using local ceramic raw materials (white clay, kaolin and silica or quartz) found in AssinFosu in the Central Region of Ghana to manufacture crucibles for melting metals and other precious minerals. Various physical tests were conducted on the materials to arrive at the body compositions. The compositions were also investigated for their elemental components by using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results revealed that the composition of Cruc containing 70% of white clay, 20% of kaolin, 8% of quartz and 2% of white grog;sintered at 1500˚C was very successful and therefore used to develop the recipe to manufacture the proposed crucibles. The “throwing” technique was employed to fabricate the crucibles. Test for thermal expansion was conducted for the manufactured crucibles at 1000˚C for thermal shock and microcracking tests. It was found out among others, that the recipe developed had very good physical and chemical properties of alumina silicate refractory materials and was fit for use at any high-temperature application. The study also recommended among others, that the researchers and institutions responsible for clay research such as Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) and Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) collaborate to improve upon this innovative idea.

Influence of Crucible Material on the Microstructure and Properties of Iron Rich Glass-Ceramics

Slag glass melting is usually performed on a laboratory scale in crucibles, which are economically viable tools for the production of slag glass-ceramics. In this work, quaternary CaO-Al2O3-MgO-SiO2（CAMS） glass-ceramics were prepared by melting the tailing of Bayan Obo mine tailing, blast furnace slag, and fly ash in alumina and graphite crucibles. The effect of the crucible material on the microstructure and properties of the glass-ceramics was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Results indicated that the contents of Al2O3 and Fe2O3 in the initial glass were significantly changed by the corrosion of the alumina crucibles during the glass melting process and by the reducing action of the graphite crucibles. The main crystal phases of glass-ceramics melted in alumina crucibles and graphite crucibles were Ca（Mg, Fe, Al）（Si, Al）2O6, coesite and Ca（Mg, Al）（Si, Al）2O6, respectively. According to these findings, we conclude that the microstructure and properties of the glass-ceramics are affected by the crucibles.

Desulphurization during VIM Refining Ni-base Superalloy using CaO Crucible

The variation of S content during VIM refining Ni-base superalloy using CaO crucible was studied. It was foundthat the desulphurization process could not be carried out by only using CaO crucible. The role of Al additionto desulphurization was also studied. Combining with the results of XRD and composition analysis of the CaOcrucible, the mechanism of desulphurization was proposed. Thermodynamical calculation about the reaction betweenthe interface of CaO crucible and liquid metal has been discussed. This work indicated that under proper refiningtechnology the S content in the liquid Ni-base alloy could be reduced from 3×10-5 to 2×10-6~4×10-6.

ELECTROMAGNETIC MODEL OF LEVITATION MELTING WITH COLD CRUCIBLE

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THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD CALCULATION AND ANALYSIS OF LEVITATION MELTING WITH COLD CRUCIBLE

In this paper, using the quasi-3D coupled current method, the influences of structure of cold crucible, the power frequency, the electricity property of melt, the coil position and current on the electromagnetic field (EMF) and the levitation characteristics in the melting processes are analyzed. It is shown that in the processes of levitation melting with cold crucible, the power frequency and cold crucible structure are the decisive factors for the ability of magnetic flux penetrating into cold crucible. The magnetic flux density in cold crucible is reduced as the increasing of power frequency, and this tendency becomes stronger when the power frequency is higher than 100kHz. The segmented structure of cold crucible can reduce the induction eddy in itself effectively, and the higher the power frequency is, the better the result is. So, a cold crucible can be segmented into 16-20 sectors for high frequency electromagnetic field and/or 8-12 sectors for lower frequency one. It is also shown that the levitation force of melting charge is related to coil current as a parabolic function.

Influence of crucible material on inclusions in 95Cr saw-wire steel deoxidized by Si–Mn

To investigate the interaction mechanism between 95 Cr saw-wire steel and different refractories,we conducted laboratory experiments at 1873 K.Five crucible materials(SiO2,Al2 O3,MgO·Al2 O3,MgO,and MgO-CaO)were used.The results indicate that SiO2,Al2 O3,and MgO·Al2 O3 are not suitable for smelting low-oxygen,low-[Al]s 95 Cr saw-wire steel,mainly because they react with the elements in the molten steel and pollute the steel samples.By contrast,MgO-CaO is an ideal choice to produce 95 Cr saw-wire steel.It offers three advantages:(ⅰ)It does not decompose by itself at the steelmaking temperature of 1873 K because it exhibits good thermal stability;(ⅱ)[C],[Si],and[Mn]in molten steel cannot react with it to increase the[O]content;and(ⅲ)it not only desulfurizes and dephosphorizes but also removes Al2 O3 inclusions from the steel simultaneously.As a result,the contents of the main elements([C],[Si],[Mn],[Cr],N,T.O(total oxygen))in the steel are not affected and the content of impurity elements([Al]s,P,and S)can be perfectly controlled within the target range.Furthermore,the number and size of inclusions in the steel samples decrease sharply when the MgO-CaO crucible is used.

Characterization of CdZnTe crystal grown by bottom-seeded Bridgman and Bridgman accelerated crucible rotation techniques

The growth of CdZnTe crystals with diameter up to 60 mm using bottom-seeded Bridgman method as well as Bridgman accelerated crucible rotation technique (ACRT-B) was investigated. Both ingots exhibit high yields, where single crystal with the volume exceeding 200 cm3 is produced. The crystal properties of two ingots were compared in the aspects of yields, crystalline quality and composition uniformity. For CdZnTe ingot grown by bottom-seeded Bridgman method, the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of X-ray rocking curve was determined to be 36″, indicating a better crystalline quality than ingot grown by ACRT-B method, which gave FWHM of 56″. The composition distribution of Zn and In in CdZnTe was determined by using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively. The effective segregation coefficients of Zn kZn and In kIn in the two ingots were evaluated by fitting the experimental data with the Pfann equation.

Effect of power parameter and induction coil on magnetic field in cold crucible during continuous melting and directional solidification

Bottomless electromagnetic cold crucible is a new apparatus for continuous melting and directional solidification;however,improving its power efficiency and optimizing the configuration are important for experiment and production.In this study,a 3-D finite element (FE) method based on experimental verification was applied to calculate the magnetic flux density (Bz).The effects of the power parameters and the induction coil on the magnetic field distribution in the cold crucible were investigated.The results show that higher current intensity and lower frequency are beneficial to the increase of Bz at both the segment midpoint and the slit location.The induction coil with racetrack section can induce greater Bz,and a larger gap between the induction coil and the shield ring increases Bz.The mechanism for this effect is also discussed.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy melted in various crucibles

The main factors limiting the mass production of TiAl-based components are the high reactivity of TiAl-based alloys with the crucible or mould at high temperature.In this work,various crucibles (e.g.CaO,Y2O3 ceramic crucibles and water-cooled copper crucible) were used to fabricate the Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy in a vacuum induction furnace.The effects of crucible materials and melting parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy were analyzed by means of microstructure observation,chemical analysis,tensile test and fracture surface observation.The possibilities of melting TiAl alloys in crucibles made of CaO and Y2O3 refractory materials were also discussed.

Progress in research on cold crucible directional solidification of titanium based alloys

Cold crucible directional solidification(CCDS)is a newly developed technique,which combines the advantages of the cold crucible and continuous melting.It can be applied to directionally solidify reactive,high purity and refractory materials.This paper describes the principle of CCDS and its characteristics;development of the measurement and numerical calculation of the magnetic field,flow field and temperature field in CCDS;and the CCDS of Ti based alloys.The paper also reviews original data obtained by some scholars,including the present authors,reported in separate publications in recent years.In Ti based alloys,Ti6Al4V,TiAl alloys and high Nb-containing TiAl alloys,have been directionally solidified in different cold crucibles.The crosssections of the cold crucibles include round,near rectangular and square with different sizes.Tensile testing results show that the elongation of directionally solidified Ti6Al4V can be improved to 12.7%from as cast5.4%.The strength and the elongation of the directionally solidified Ti47Al2Cr2Nb and Ti44Al6Nb1.0Cr2.0V are 650 MPa/3%and 602.5MPa/1.20%,respectively.The ingots after CCDS can be used to prepare turbine or engine blades,and are candidates to replace Ni super-alloy at temperatures of 700 to 900°C.

WATER-COOLING CRUCIBLE VACUUM INDUCTION MELTING OF γ-TiAl BASED ALLOYS

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Continuous melting and directional solidification of silicon ingot with an electromagnetic cold crucible

In order to avoid contamination from the crucible and to modify the structures,a new solidification method based on cold crucible technology was used to prepare silicon ingots.A silicon ingot with square cross section was directionally solidified with a cold crucible.The mechanism of the cold crucible directional solidification of silicon ingot was revealed.Due to the induction heat that was released in the surface layer and the incomplete contact between the crucible and the melt,the lateral heat loss was reduced and the silicon ingot was directionally solidified.The structures,dislocation defects and the grain growth orientation of the ingot were determined.The results show that neither intergranular nor intragranular precipitates are found in the ingot,except for the top part that was the last to solidify.The average dislocation density is about 1 to 2×106 cm-2.The grains are preferentially <220> orientated.

The mechanism of hot crack formation in Ti-6Al-4V during cold crucible continuous casting

Hot crack is one of common defects in castings, which often results in failure of castings. This work studies the formation of hot crack during cold crucible continuous casting by means of experiments and theoretical analysis. The results show that hot crack occurs on the surface and in the circumference of ingots, where the solidified shell and the solidification front meet each other. The tendency of hot cracking decreases with the increase of withdrawal velocities in some extent. The hot crack is caused mainly by the friction force between the shell and the crucible inner wall, and it takes place when the stress resulting from friction exceeds the tensile strength of the shell. The factors of μ_m, η_t, η_s and η_m, affecting hot cracks are analyzed and verified. In order to decrease the tendency of hot cracks, technical parameters should be optimized by decreasing μ_m, η_t, η_s and η_m.

PORCELAIN CRUCIBLE FUSION METHOD OF CERAMIC RAW MATERIALS HIGH IN ALUMINIUM AND ITS DETERMINATION

This paper introduces the ceramic materials fusion method to use porcelain crucible instead of platinum crucible. By this method, not only the funds can be saved, but also the operation becomes simple and the analysed results are accurate and reliable. On the other hand, the high fusion point materials, such as high aluminum ceramic raw ma- terials, can also be melted and their aluminum contents can be determined by this method. Thus, it can be widely used in the students laboratory and routine analysis of small and middle industrial enterprises.

High-temperature deformation resistance and creep resistance of a TiAl-based alloy fabricated by cold crucible directional solidification technology

In order to improve the high-temperature deformation resistance and creep resistance of TiAl-based alloys,cold crucible directional solidification(CCDS)technology was employed.Aβ-type TiAl-based alloy with the nominal composition of Ti44Al6Nb1Cr2V was prepared using the optimized CCDS parameters of 45 kW input power and 0.5 mm·min^-1 solidification rate.Thermo-compression testing was utilized to evaluate the hightemperature deformation resistance and creep resistance of the CCDS Ti44Al6Nb1Cr2V alloy.Results show that the CCDS Ti44Al6Nb1Cr2V alloy billets contain aligned columnar grains and a high percentage of small-angle lamellae.Thermo-compression testing results in the radial direction of the CCDS alloy show a much higher peak stress than other reported results in similar conditions.The much higher hardening exponent and deformation activation energy are obtained,corresponding to the excellent high-temperature deformation resistance and creep resistance,which are because of the hard-oriented grains,weaker stress-strain coordination capability of lamella structure and relatively more hysteretic dynamic recrystallization.Thermo-compression testing results in the longitudinal direction of the CCDS Ti44Al6Nb1Cr2V alloy show the much higher peak stress than that in the radial direction,indicating the better high-temperature deformation resistance and creep resistance attributed to the hard-oriented lamellae in this condition.

Comparison of Different Crucible Materials for the Growth of AlN Crystals

Choice of crucible material is a key issue during the growth of AIN crystal. The stabilities at high temperature and life-spans of boron nitride （BN） crucible, tantalum （Ta） crucible and tungsten （W） crucible were compared. Tantalum crucible behaved worse at high temperature and life-span was shortened as compared with the other two crucible materials. It was very crisp and easy to crack. In contrast, self-seeded AIN crystals with different morphologies could be obtained at different high temperatures using BN crucible. The boron nitride crucible was stable below 2200 ℃, above which it would decompose. Thus it was unsuitable for the bulky AIN crystal growth. Tungsten crucible could endure the temperatures higher than 2200℃. Unfortunately we could only get AIN polycrystallines using tungsten crucible. After 50- 100 hours＇ run, the crucible was destroyed completely due to the multiple deep cracks. XRD results of destroyed tungsten crucible indicated that the main phases are tungsten carbide and tungsten nitride.

Computer Analysis of a Methane Fired Crucible Furnace

Two design factors and one operation parameter of a methane fired crucible furnace are numerically explored in this work. These are the number of burners, the location of the exhaust gas exit, and the air-fuel ratio, respectively. Three dimensional steady state Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations are carried out in order to analyze the influence of the above factors on the mean cavity temperature in absence of thermal load, the methane content and the oxygen content of the exit gas.

Effect of Ceramic Crucibles on Magneto-Optical PbO-Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃Glasses Properties

Heavy-metal-oxide (HMO) glasses attract much interest in many applications such as Faraday rotators, current sensors, etc., in the area of magneto-optic effects due to their unique magnetic-optical property, high refractive index and other interesting properties. However, during the melt-quenching process of these glasses, the high corrosive nature of the melt to the crucibles makes the fabrication of HMO glasses complicated and the properties of the obtained glasses show strong dependence on the crucible materials. Literatures reported that the gold and platinum crucibles are not suitable due to their contamination to the melt glasses, ceramic crucible was considered suitable for the melting of HMO glasses. In this work, magnetic-optical glasses within the system of PbO-Bi2O3-B2O3 have been prepared using different kinds of ceramic crucibles for the aim of finding the most suitable crucible for melting HMO glasses. The glass properties in terms of Verdet constant, thermal stability and UV-Vis-IR transmittance in function of different crucibles were studied and reported. It was found that the same batch of glasses prepared under same conditions (melting temperature, melting time and annealing process), but in different ceramic crucibles (coded as C1, C2 and C3) showed significant difference in properties such as glass forming ability, thermal stability, optical absorption in UV-Vis-IR and Verdet constant (0.0812 - 0.1483 min/G.cm). The ceramic crucible made of 25%Al2O3 and 75%SiO2 (C2) was found to be the most suitable for PbO-Bi2O3-B2O3 glass preparation, compared with platinum, gold, C1 and C3. Glasses melted with C2 exhibit good performance in magneto and optical property, as well as good thermal stability.

Mechanical properties and thermal deformation behavior of low-cost titanium matrix composites prepared by a structure-optimized Y_(2)O_(3) crucible

A porous yttrium oxide crucible with both thermal shock resistance and erosion resistance was developed by structural optimization.The structure-optimized yttrium oxide crucible was proved to be suitable for melting highly reactive titanium alloys.Low-cost(TiB+Y2O_(3))-reinforced titanium matrix composites were prepared by vacuum induction melting using the prepared crucible.The thermal deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of(TiB+Y2O_(3))-reinforced tita-nium matrix composites were investigated at deformation temperatures of 900-1100℃with strain rates of 0.001-1 s-1.The results showed that the prepared yttrium oxide crucible had both thermal shock and erosion resistance,the low-cost titanium matrix composites could be prepared by the developed yttrium oxide crucibles which were homogeneous in composition and highly sensitive to strain rate and deformation temperature,and the peak and theological stresses decreased with increasing deformation temperature or decreasing strain rate.In addition,the average thermal deformation activation energy of the composites was calculated to be 574.6 kJ/mol by establishing the Arrhenius constitutive equation in consideration of the strain variables,and the fitting goodness between the predicted stress value and the measured value was 97.624%.The calculated analysis of the hot processing map showed that the best stable thermal deformation zone was located in the deformation temperature range of 1000-1100℃and strain rate range of 0.001-0.01 s^(-1),where the peak dissipation coefficient wasη=71%.In this zone,the deformation of the reinforcement and matrix was harmonious,the reinforcement was less likely to fracture,dynamic recrystallization occurred more fully and the alloy exhibited near steady rheological characteristics.

Improved multi-orientation dispersion of short carbon fibers in aluminum matrix composites prepared with square crucible by mechanical stirring

In order to improve the strength of short carbon fibers reinforced aluminum matrix(Csf/Al)composite,the dispersion of short carbon fibers with multi-orientation was controlled with a square crucible by mechanical stirring.The three-dimensional flow field models of liquid aluminum melt in the square/round crucibles were established and calculated,and the results were compared.The calculated results show that turbulent flow could be induced both in the square and round crucible,while the non-axisymmetric structure of the square crucible results in higher turbulent kinetic energy in the melt.Therefore,the uniformity and multi-orientation dispersion of the short fibers can be improved by the intensive turbulent flow in the square crucible,which will be increased by increasing the rotational velocity.The distribution of the short carbon fibers in the aluminum matrix prepared under different rotation velocities in square crucible was experimentally investigated.With the increase of stirring velocity,the multi-orientation dispersion of the short fibers in the composites increased gradually.The experimental results are consistent with the calculation results.The tensile testing results show that the strength of the Csf/Al composite can reach 172 MPa when the rotational velocity is 1000 rpm,and it is 48.3%higher than that prepared by the round crucible under the same conditions,which results from the improved multi-orientation dispersion of short carbon fibers in aluminum matrix.