Abstract:
To investigate the dissolution behaviors of Al
2O
3 inclusions in CaO–5wt%MgO–SiO
2–30wt%Al
2O
3–TiO
2 system ladle slags, confocal scanning laser microscopy was conducted on the slags with different TiO
2 contents (0–10wt%), and scanning electron microscopy was performed to study the interfacial reaction between Al
2O
3 and this slag system. The results disclose that the dissolution of Al
2O
3 inclusions does not result in the formation of new phases at the boundary between the slag and the inclusions. In TiO
2-bearing and TiO
2-free ladle slags, there is no difference in the dissolution mechanism of Al
2O
3 inclusions at steelmaking temperatures. Boundary layer diffusion is found as the controlling step of the dissolution of Al
2O
3, and the diffusion coefficient is in the range of 4.18 × 10
−10 to 2.18 × 10
−9 m
2/s at 1450–1500°C. Compared with the solubility of Al
2O
3 in the slags, slag viscosity and temperature play a more profound role in the dissolution of Al
2O
3 inclusions. A lower viscosity and a lower melting point of the slags are beneficial for the dissolution. Suitable addition of TiO
2 (e.g., 5wt%) in ladle slags can enhance the dissolution of Al
2O
3 inclusions because of the low viscosity and melting point of the slags, while excessive addition of TiO
2 (e.g., 10wt%) shows the opposite trend.