Abstract:
The low-reactivity mold flux with low SiO
2 content is considered suitable for the continuous casting of high-aluminum steel since it can significantly reduce the reaction between Al in steel and SiO
2 in mold flux. However, the traditional low-reactivity mold flux still presents some problems such as high viscosity and strong crystallization tendency. In this study, the co-addition of Li
2O and B
2O
3 in CaO–Al
2O
3–10wt%SiO
2 based low-reactivity mold flux was proposed to improve properties of mold flux for high-aluminum steel, and the effect of Li
2O replacing B
2O
3 on properties of mold flux was investigated. The viscosity of the mold flux with 2wt% Li
2O and 6wt% B
2O
3 reached a minimum value of 0.07 Pa·s. The break temperature and melting point showed a similar trend with the viscosity. Besides, the melt structure and precipitation of the crystalline phase were studied using Raman and X-ray diffraction spectra to better understand the evolution of viscosity. It demonstrated that with increasing Li
2O content in the mold flux from 0 to 6wt%, the degree of polymerization of aluminate and the aluminosilicate network structure increased because of increasing Li
+ released by Li
2O, indicating the added Li
2O was preferentially associated with Al
3+ as a charge compensator. The precipitation of LiAlO
2 crystalline phase gradually increased with the replacement of B
2O
3 by Li
2O. Therefore, Li
2O content should be controlled below 2wt% to avoid LiAlO
2 precipitation, which was harmful to the continuous casting of high-aluminum steels.