Explainable machine learning model for predicting molten steel temperature in the LF refining process

Accurate prediction of molten steel temperature in the ladle furnace(LF)refining process has an important influence on the quality of molten steel and the control of steelmaking cost.Extensive research on establishing models to predict molten steel temperature has been conducted.However,most researchers focus solely on improving the accuracy of the model,neglecting its explainability.The present study aims to develop a high-precision and explainable model with improved reliability and transparency.The eXtreme gradient boosting(XGBoost)and light gradient boosting machine(LGBM)were utilized,along with bayesian optimization and grey wolf optimiz-ation(GWO),to establish the prediction model.Different performance evaluation metrics and graphical representations were applied to compare the optimal XGBoost and LGBM models obtained through varying hyperparameter optimization methods with the other models.The findings indicated that the GWO-LGBM model outperformed other methods in predicting molten steel temperature,with a high pre-diction accuracy of 89.35%within the error range of±5°C.The model’s learning/decision process was revealed,and the influence degree of different variables on the molten steel temperature was clarified using the tree structure visualization and SHapley Additive exPlana-tions(SHAP)analysis.Consequently,the explainability of the optimal GWO-LGBM model was enhanced,providing reliable support for prediction results.

Exploration and Practice of Nitrogen Addition Process for LF Refining Ladle Bottom Blowing Nitrogen Steel Liquid

This article discusses and analyzes the law of nitrogen increase in liquid steel and the main factors affect-ing the nitrogen increasing of molten steel,through the way of adding nitrogen to molten steel by bottom blowing nitrogen gas in LF refining process.It is considered that the main factors affecting the nitrogen increasing instability of molten steel are the initial temperature of LF refining,nitrogen relative element,surface active elements[O]and[S]of steel liquid,and bottom blowing rate of ladle.The large-scale production practice shows that T[O]not more than 50×10-6 and[S]is not more than 0.020 in LF refining at the initial temperature of not less than 1570.The liquid steel nitrogen enrichment test is carried out by ladle bottom blowing nitrogen gas after 20 min of refining,the flow rate is set as(6.0~7.0)NL/min per ton,and it is turned to 2 NL/min at 6 min before the end of refining,the nitrogen increasing rate of liquid steel is basically stable at(5~6)×10-6 per minute.

Thermodynamics of removing impurities from crude lead by vacuum distillation refining

A novel technique was developed to remove impurities from crude lead by vacuum distillation.The thermodynamics on vacuum distillation refining process of crude lead was studied by means of saturated vapor pressure of main components of crude lead,separation coefficients and vapor-liquid equilibrium composition of Pb-i（i stands for an impurity） system at different temperatures.The behaviors of impurities in the vacuum distillation refining process were investigated.The results show that the vacuum distillation should be taken to obtain lead from crude lead,in which Zn,As and partial Sb are volatilized at lower temperature of 923-1023 K.Lead is distilled from the residue containing Cu,Sn,Ag and Bi at higher temperature of 1323-1423 K,but the impurity Bi is also volatilized along with lead and cannot be separated from lead.

Boron removal in purifying metallurgical grade silicon by CaO-SiO_2 slag refining

Boron removal from metallurgical grade silicon （MG-Si） using a calcium silicate slag was studied. The results show that it is impossible basically to remove boron using a pure SiO2 refining. The oxidizing ability of CaO-SiO2 slag for boron removal was characterized by establishing the thermodynamic relationship between the distribution coefficient of boron （LB） and the activities of SiO2 and CaO. The experimental results show that the distribution coefficient and the removal efficiency of boron are greatly improved with the increase of CaO proportion in the slag. The maximal value of LB reaches 1.57 with a slag composition of 60%CaO-40%SiO2 （mass fraction）. The boron content in the refined silicon is reduced from 18×10^-6 to 1.8×10^-6 using slag refining at 1600 ℃ for 3 h with a CaO-SiO2/MG-Si ratio of 2.5, and the removal efficiency of boron reaches 90%.

Iron reduction in aluminum by electroslag refining

The effect of electroslag refining on iron reduction from commercial aluminum was investigated.Cast electrodes of commercial aluminum were electroslag refined using KCl-NaCl-Na3AlF6 slag containing Na2B4O7.Experimental results indicate that the iron content decreases with increasing Na2B4O7 addition and remelting time,and the iron content decreases from 0.400% to 0.184% under 9% Na2B4O7 addition for 30 min remelting.The elastic modulus,yield strength and ultimate tensile strength commercial aluminum are improved,and the tensile elongation is increased by 43% after electroslag refining.The chemical reaction between melt and slag to form Fe2B is the main reason for iron reduction and the thermodynamic calculation of the chemical reaction theoretically accounts for the formation of Fe2B.

Grain refining mechanism of Al-3B master alloy on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

Al-3B master alloy is a kind of efficient grain refiner for hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of undissolved AlB2 particles in Al-3B master alloy on the grain refinement of Al-7Si. It is found that the number and the settlement of AlB2 particles in the melt all have effect on the grain refining efficiency. On the basis of experiments and theoretical analysis, a new grain refinement mechanism was proposed to explain the grain refinement action of Al-3B on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. The formation of ＇Al-AlB2＇ shell structure is the direct reason for grain refinement and the undissolved AlB2 particles is the indirect nucleating base for subsequent α（Al） phase.

Mechanical stirring for highly efficient gas injection refining

In gas injection refining processes,wide dispersion of small bubbles in the bath is indispensable for high refining efficiency.Eccentric mechanical stirring with unidirectional impeller rotation was tested using a water model for pursuing better bubble disintegration and dispersion.Effects of various factors on bubble disintegration and dispersion were investigated.These factors were stirring mode,eccentricity and rotation speed,nozzle structure,nozzle immersion depth,and gas flow rate.Gas injection from a nozzle at the end of the impeller shaft and from an immersed lance was studied.Under eccentric stirring,a vortex was formed away from the shaft.Small bubbles were produced in the strong turbulence or high shear stress field near the rotating impeller and moved in the direction to the vortex keeping up with the macroscopic flow induced by the mechanical stirring.Thus small bubbles could disperse widely in the bath under eccentric stirring with unidirectional rotation.

Melting purification process and refining effect of 5083 Al-Mg alloy

To improve the poor stability of casting process of Al alloy with high Mg content, which leads to poor final product quality, the melting purification process and the influences of the refiner on the microstructure and defect of 5083 alloy were studied. The results show that the optimized process for the rotary impeller degassing of 5083 alloy is as follows： a rotary speed of 250-400 r/min; a gas flow of 1.2-2.0 L/s, a refining time of 10-15 min. This optimized process can reduce the gas content in the solid alloy to 2× 10^-3 mL/g or lower. Due to the addition of grain refiner, the cast microstructure of 5083 alloy is refined. The Al-5Ti-IB wire shows the best refining effect among all the refiners. The refining effect is improved with the increase of grain refiner addition amount. And the refinement effects become stable when Ti content reaches 0.1% or higher. The surface crinkling defect of the billet can be easily found in the alloy refined with Al-5Ti-IB wire compared with the alloys refined with other refiners.

Grain refining technique of AM60B magnesium alloy by MgCO_3

The effects of grain refining parameters on microstructure of AM60B magnesium alloy with MgCO3 were investigated and then a refining technique was developed.Simultaneously,the corresponding mechanisms were discussed.The results indicate that increasing addition temperature of MgCO3 or pouring temperature is beneficial for obtaining fine grains.There is an optimal addition amount of 1.2%at the addition temperature of 790°C.Prolonging holding time at 790°C will increase grain size.The grain refining technique that 1.2%MgCO3 is added at 790°C followed by holding for 10 min and pouring can decrease the grain size from 348μm of the un-refined alloy to 69μm.The nucleation substrates are actually the Al4C3 particles formed from reactions between the MgCO3 and alloying elements in the melt.Besides the heterogeneous nucleation regime,growth restriction of the Al4C3 particles agglomerated at growing front is the other mechanism.

Grain refining effect of Mg by novel particle cluster-containing Al-Ti-C master alloy

A novel A1-Ti-C master alloy containing A14C3 and TiC particle clusters, which exhibits great refining potential for Mg, was prepared. With the addition of 2% A1-Ti-C master alloy, the grains transform to equiaxed crystal with a diameter of （110-a：17） ~tm. The results indicate that A14C3 and TiC particle cluster, rather than a single particle, plays an important role in the refining process. Compared with the simplex smooth nucleating substrate, concave regions on the particle cluster provide easier route for the transformation from liquid Mg atoms to stable nucleus. Nucleus with a small size can also reach the critical nucleation radius when they attach on the concave regions of the substrate. A14C3 and TiC particle clusters thus become more favorable nucleating substrate for a-Mg grains.

Effects of grain refining and modification on mechanical properties and microstructures of Al-7.5Si-4Cu cast alloy

Al-7.5Si-4Cu cast alloy melt modified by Al-5Ti-B, RE and Al-10Sr master alloys were poured in the chromite sand moulds, to investigate comparatively the effects of individual or combined additions of grain refiners and modifiers on the mechanical properties, microstructures, grain refining and modification, and intermetallic compounds of the alloy. The results show that the mechanical properties and the microstructures of Al-7.5Si-4Cu cast alloys are improved immensely by combining addition of 0.8%Al-5Ti-B, 0.1%RE and 0.1%Al-10Sr grain refiners and modifiers compared with the individual addition and cast conditions. For individual addition condition, addition of 0.8%Al-5Ti-B master alloy can obtain superior tensile strength, Brinell hardness and finer equiaxedα（Al） dendrites. The alloy with 0.1%RE master alloy shows the highest improvement in ductility because the rare earth can purify the molten metal and change the shape of intermetallic compounds. While the alloy with 0.1%Al-10Sr modifier shows only good improvement in yield strength, and the improvement of other performance is unsatisfactory. The Al-10Sr modifier has a significant metamorphism for the eutectic silicon, but will make the gas content in the aluminum alloy melt increase to form serious columnar grain structures. The effects of grain refining and modification on mean area and aspect ratio have the same conclusions obtained in the mechanical properties and the microstructures analyses.

Effect of Ultrasonic Output Power on Refining the Crystal Structures of Ingots and Its Experimental Simulation

In this study, a series of tests were conducted by using aluminum-based alloy to determine the formation of grain refining structure based on the ultrasonic vibration (UV). Furthermore, the simulation test and effect of ultrasonic output power were studied using ammonium chloride. Finally, the mechanism of grain refinement was investigated. The results show that: (1) By applying the UV to aluminum-base alloy, the grain refining rate of ingots tended to increase with the increase of the output value of UV. (2) It was confirmed that time from after the pour to the beginning of crystallization as well as cloudiness tended to decrease with increasing the ultrasonic power value of UV. Moreover, it can be seen from each cooling curve that a uniform temperature gradient existed in the melt as the power of UV increased, that made the melt strongly stirred. (3) It was also considered that the grain refining effect of ingots, which was observed from the simulation tests, resulted from nucleation action and stirring division action by applying the UV.

Top slag refining for inclusion composition transform control in tire cord steel

Controlling conditions for inclusion plasticization were calculated by FactSage, and the steel/slag reaction equilibration time was determined by pre-equilibrium experiments. Laboratory experiments with different top slags were carried out in 90 rain, and industrial tests were performed based on the results of calculation and laboratory experiments. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） were used to determine the morphology and composition of inclusions in tire cord steel. It is found that the shape of in- clusions can be controlled well, and the composition of inclusions varies in the industrial test as the following transformation route： MnO-A1EOa-SiO2→CaO-AIEOa-SiO2→MnO-A1203-SiO2. Inclusion plasticization can be achieved by controlling the binary basicity of top slag （CaO/SiO2 by mass） around 1.0 and the （A1203） content in top slag below 10wt%. Under these controlling conditions in the industrial test, almost all of inclusions in the wire rods achieve plastic deformation.

Refining Effect of a New Al3Ti1B1RE Master Alloy on Al Sheets Used for Can Manufacture and Behavior of Rare Earths in Master Alloy

The refining effect of Al3Ti1B1RE master alloy on Al sheets used for pressure can manufacture and the behavior of mixed rare earths in master alloy were investigated with XRD, OM, SEM and EDAX. It is found that the refining effect of the refiner on the material has superiority over foreign or domestic Al5Ti1B refiner, and the refiner still retains its refining ability for 6 h after adding it to molten Al, thus improving the strength and plasticity of the material remarkably. The excellent refining effect and stability of AlTiBRE refiner result from that RE can lower the surface energy of molten Al and improve the wetting characteristics of molten Al on refinement nuclei such as TiAl 3, TiB 2, etc., thus giving full play to the effect of heterogeneous nucleation and impeding the congregating tendency of TiB 2 phase in molten Al. At the same time, RE gathering in front of solid/liquid interface are also easy to cause composition supercooling in molten Al, thus impeding the growth of α Al grains and promoting α Al nucleation on refinement nuclei. In addition, RE also play certain role in purification and grain refinement, or modification, especially their effect of purification can improve the metallurgical quality of AlTiBRE master alloy.

Grain Refining Performance of SHS Al-50TiC Master Alloys for Commercially Pure Aluminum

An Al 50wt%TiC composite was directly synthesized by self propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) technology,and then was used as a grain refining master alloy for commercially pure aluminum.The microstructure and grain refining performance of the synthesized master alloy were emphatically investigated.The SHS master alloy only contained submicron TiC particles except for Al matrix.Moreover,TiC particles were relatively free of agglomeration. Grain refining tests show that adding only 0.1 wt% of the master alloys to the aluminum melt could transform the structure of the solidified samples from coarse columnar grains to fine equiaxed grains (average grain size 120μm),and that this grain refining effectiveness could be maintained for almost 1.5h at 1003K. Therefore,it is concluded that the SHS master alloy is an effective grain refiner for aluminum and its alloys, and that it is highly resistant to the grain refining fading encountered with most grain refiners.

Effect of La on Microstructure and Grain-Refining Performance of Al-Ti-C Grain Refiner

Al-Ti-C grain refiner was prepared by SHS （self-propagating high-temperature synthesis ）-melting technique. The effect of La on the microstructures of grain refiner was studied by OM, TEM, SEM, XRD, and EDS. The experimental results indicate that La can improve the wettability between liquid aluminum and graphite ; the addition of La results in dispersive distribution of TiAl3 and TiC particles in the matrix. An excellent grain refining performance of Al-Ti-C grain refiner on commercially pure Al was obtained.

Physical model of fluid flow characteristics in RH-TOP vacuum refining process

To understand the characteristic of circulation flow rate in 250-t RH-TOP vacuum refining process, the 1：4 water model test was established through the bubble behavior and gas holdup in the up-leg to investigate the effects of different processes and equipment parame- ters on the RH circulation flow rate. With the increases of lifting gas flow rate, liffing bubble travel, and the internal diameter of the up-leg, and the decrease of nozzle diameter, the work done by bubble floatage and the circulation flow rate increase. The expression of circulation flow rate was derived fi＂om the regression analysis of experiment data. Meanwhile, the influences of vacuum chamber pressure and nozzle blockage situation on the circulation flow rate were discussed in detail by the bubble behavior and gas holdup in the up-leg. It is necessary to maintain a certain vacuum chamber liquid level in the molten steel circulation flow. Compared with a nozzle with symmetrical blockage in the up-leg, when a nozzle with non-symmetrical blockage is applied, the lifting gas distribution is non-uniform, causing a great effect on the molten steel circulation flow and making the circulation flow drop largely.

Sr Microalloying for Refining Grain Size of AZ91D Magnesium Alloy

The grain refining process of an AZ91D Mg alloy by Sr addition was studied and the heterogeneous nucleating particles of α-Mg were investigated by electron probe microanalysis （EPMA）. With 0.6 wt% Sr addition, the mean grain size of AZ91D alloy was refined from 235.4μm to 52.5 μm at the one-half radius of the ingot. The morphology of primary crystal changed from a sixford symmetrical shape to a petallike shape, Mg-Sr-Al-Fe-Mn heterogeneous nucleating particles were observed at the grain centers and Sr solute atoms presented segregation along the grain boundaries. Grain refinement was facilitated by both the Mg-Sr-Al- Fe-Mn nucleating particles and the Sr solute atoms, and the former played a dominate role in the process.

Decarburization rate of RH refining for ultra low carbon steel

The decarburization behaviors of ultra low carbon steel in a 210-t RH vacuum degasser were investigated under practical operat- ing conditions. According to the apparent decarburization rate constant （Kc） calculated by the carbon content in the samples taken from the hot melt in a ladle at an interval of 1-2 min, it is observed that the total decarburization reaction period in RH can be divided into the quick decarburization period and the stagnant decarburization period, which is quite different from the traditional one with three stages. In this study, the average apparent decarburization rate constant during the quick decarburization period is 0.306 min^-1, and that of the stagnant period is 0.072 min^-1. Increasing the initial carbon content and enhancing the exhausting capacity can increase the apparent decarburization rate constant in the quick decarburization period. The decarburization reaction comes into the stagnant decarburization period when the carbon content in molten steel is less than 14× 10^-6 after 10 min of decarburization.

Optimization of RPC technique for refining the intermediate transformation microstructure

The influence of processing parameters ofrelaxation-precipitation-controlling phase transformation (RPC) technique, finish rollingtemperature, reduction ratio and relaxing time on the microstructure was studied bythermo-simulation for a low carbon Nb and Ti containing micro-alloyed steel. The microstructure wasinvestigated by optical microscope, transmission electron microscope and electron back scatterdiffraction (EBSD). The statistical results of the packet size were calculated. It shows that, afterRPC process, the steel is a composite microstructure of bainite and matensite. The bestthermo-simulation process for refinement in this experiment is deformation for 30 percent at 850 degC, and then relaxing at this temperature for 60 s to 200 s. Increasing the reduction ratio from 30percent to 60 or decreasing the deformation temperature to 800 deg C would cause the best relaxationtime to become shorter, increasing the deformation temperature to 900 deg C would cause therefinement effect to be weak.