This paper presents the effect of carburizing materials on cast iron solidification and crystallization. The studies consisted of cast iron preparation from steel scrap and different carburizers. For a comparison, pig iron was exclusively used in a solid charge. Crystallization analysis revealed the influence of the carburizer material on the crystallization curves as well as differences in the solidification paths of cast iron prepared with the use of different charge materials. The carburizersÕ influence on undercooling during the eutectic crystallization process was analyzed. The lowest undercooling rate was recorded for the melt with pig iron, then for synthetic graphite, natural graphite, anthracite, and petroleum coke (the highest undercooling rate). So a hypothesis was formulated that eutectic cells are created most effectively with the presence of carbon from pig iron (the highest nucleation potential), and then for the graphite materials (crystallographic similarity with the carbon precipitation in the cast iron). The most difficult eutectic crystallization is for anthracite and petroleum coke (higher undercooling is necessary). This knowledge can be crucial when the foundry plant is going to change the solid charge composition replacing the pig iron by steel scrap and the recarburization process.

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The method of powder injection into molten metal has been widely known since tens of years and successfully utilized in various metallurgical processes. The most common is a solution with injection lance submerged under the liquid alloy surface, because it is easier apart from some of disadvantages of this approach. In this paper the authors' complex experiments on the pneumatic injection process with non-submerged lance have been presented. The new approach on jet cone angle importance and its influence on the efficiency of the injection process has been shown. The issue of the effective jet radius that was proposed by former scientists as well as computer modelling and injection experiments recorded with high speed camera have been presented. The final comparison of the typical injection lance and developed by authors new lance with flange was presented, too. The benefits of use of a new one for the treatment of small liquid alloy volume (e.g. inoculation or alloys addition introduction) have been pointed.Keywords: Powder Injection, Injection Lance, Pneumatic Conveying, Cast Iron Treatment, High Speed Camera Technologia wdmuchiwania proszków do ciekłego metalu jest znana od kilkudziesięciu lat i z powodzeniem stosowana w różnorodnych procesach metalurgicznych i odlewniczych. Zdecydowanie najczęściej stosowane jest rozwiązanie z użyciem lancy zanurzonej pod lustro obrabianego stopu, jako łatwiejsze choć nie pozbawione wielu istotnych wad. W pracy zaprezentowano zakończone kompleksowe badania autorów nad procesem wdmuchiwania proszków bez zanurzania lancy w kąpieli. Przedstawiono nowe spojrzenie na tzw. "kąt stożka rozejścia strumienia" i jego wpływ na skuteczność procesu, przeanalizowano zagadnienie tzw. "skutecznego promienia strumienia" proponowanego przez wcześniejszych badaczy oraz opisano wyniki badań symulacyjnych oraz eksperymentów wdmuchiwania, zarejestrowanych z użyciem kamery do szybkich zdjęć. Podjęto się także ostatecznego porównania rozwiązań lancy zwykłej i opracowanej przez autorów tzw. "lancy kołnierzowej" wskazując na zalety tej drugiej, jako narzędzia do obróbki niewielkich objętości ciekłych stopów np. w procesach wprowadzania żelazostopów czy też modyfikacji.

Abstract:The article presents the attempt to optimize a gating system to produce cast steel castings. It is based on John Campbell's theory and presents the original results of computer modelling of typical and optimized gating systems for cast steel castings. The current state-of-the-art in cast steel casting foundry was compared with several proposals of optimization. The aim was to find a compromise between the best, theoretically proven gating system version, and a version that would be affordable in industrial conditions. The results show that it is possible to achieve a uniform and slow pouring process even for heavy castings to preserve their internal quality.

The article presents issues related to melting ductile iron grade EN-GJS-400-15, with different proportions of feedstock (steel scrap and pig iron). The main attention was paid to determining the impact of silicon carbide on the structure and properties of melted cast iron. In the conducted melts, carbon and silicon deficiencies were supplemented with a suitably chosen carburizer, ferrosilicon, and SiC metallurgical silicon carbide. The percentage of silicon carbide in the charge ranged from 0 to 0.91%. The basic condition for the planning of melts was to maintain the repeatability of the chemical composition of the output cast iron and cast iron after the secondary treatment of liquid metal with various charge compositions. Based on the tests, calculations, and analyses of the results obtained, it was concluded that the addition of SiC may increase the number and size of graphite precipitates. Increasing the SiC content in the charge also caused a change in the solidification nature of the alloy and the mechanism of growth of spheroidal graphite precipitates, causing their surface to form a scaly shell. The influence of the addition of silicon carbide on the reduction of the temperature of liquidus in the alloys was also observed. Silicon carbide had a positive effect on the structure and properties of melted alloys. The introduction of SiC into the melting in the studied range caused an increase in the content of carbon and silicon without causing an increase in the amount of impurities in the alloy.