2013 Vol. 20, No. 7

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Optimization of flotation variables for the recovery of hematite particles from BHQ ore
Swagat S. Rath, Hrushikesh Sahoo, and  B. Das
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 605-611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0773-9
Abstract:
The technology for beneficiation of banded iron ores containing low iron value is a challenging task due to increasing demand of quality iron ore in India. A flotation process has been developed to treat one such ore, namely banded hematite quartzite (BHQ) containing 41.8wt% Fe and 41.5wt% SiO2, by using oleic acid, methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), and sodium silicate as the collector, frother, and dispersant, respectively. The relative effects of these variables have been evaluated in half-normal plots and Pareto charts using central composite rotatable design. A quadratic response model has been developed for both Fe grade and recovery and optimized within the experimental range. The optimum reagent dosages are found to be as follows: collector concentration of 243.58 g/t, dispersant concentration of 195.67 g/t, pH 8.69, and conditioning time of 4.8 min to achieve the maximum Fe grade of 64.25% with 67.33% recovery. The predictions of the model with regard to iron grade and recovery are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Extraction and separation of nickel and cobalt from saprolite laterite ore by microwave-assisted hydrothermal leaching and chemical deposition
Yan Zhao, Jian-ming Gao, Yi Yue, Ben Peng, Zai-qing Que, Min Guo, and  Mei Zhang
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 612-619. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0774-8
Abstract:
Extraction and separation of nickel and cobalt from saprolite laterite ore were studied by using a method of microwave-assisted hydrothermal leaching and chemical deposition. The effects of leaching temperature and time on the extraction efficiencies of Ni2+ and Co2+ were investigated in detail under microwave conditions. It is shown that the extraction efficiencies of Ni2+ and Co2+ from the ore pre-roasted at 300℃ for 5 h were 89.19% and 61.89% when the leaching temperature and time were about 70℃ and 60 min, respectively. For the separation process of Ni and Co, the separation of main chemical components was performed by adjusting the pH values of sulfuric leaching solutions using a NaOH solution based on the different pH values of precipitation for metal hydroxides. The final separation efficiencies of Ni and Co were 77.29% and 65.87%, respectively. Furthermore, the separation efficiencies of Fe of 95.36% and Mg of 92.2% were also achieved at the same time.
Mathematical model of burden distribution for the bell-less top of a blast furnace
Zhao-jie Teng, Shu-sen Cheng, Peng-yu Du, and  Xi-bin Guo
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 620-626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0775-7
Abstract:
Due to the difficulty in measuring the burden trajectory directly in an actual blast furnace (BF), a mathematical model with Coriolis force and gas drag force considered was developed to predict it. The falling point and width of the burden flow were obtained and analyzed by the model, the velocities of particles at the chute end were compared with and without the existence of Coriolis force, and the effects of chute length and chute torque on the falling point were also discussed. The simulation results are in good agreement with practical measurements with laser beams in a 2500 m3 BF.
Mathematical model of the direct reduction of dust composite pellets containing zinc and iron
Xiu-wei An, Jing-song Wang, Xue-feng She, and  Qing-guo Xue
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 627-635. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0776-6
Abstract:
Direct reduction of dust composite pellets containing zinc and iron was examined by simulating the conditions of actual production process of a rotary hearth furnace (RHF) in laboratory. A mathematical model was constructed to study the reduction kinetics of iron oxides and ZnO in the dust composite pellets. It was validated by comparing the calculated values with experimental results. The effects of furnace temperature, pellet radius, and pellet porosity on the reduction were investigated by the model. It is shown that furnace temperature has obvious influence on both of the reduction of iron oxides and ZnO, but the influence of pellet radius and porosity is much smaller. Model calculations suggest that both of the reduction of iron oxides and ZnO are under mixed control with interface reactions and Boudouard reaction in the early stage, but only with interface reactions in the later stage.
Numerical simulation of the direct reduction of pellets in a rotary hearth furnace for zinc-containing metallurgical dust treatment
Yu-liang Wu, Ze-yi Jiang, Xin-xin Zhang, Peng Wang, and  Xue-feng She
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 636-644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0777-5
Abstract:
A mathematical model was established to describe the direct reduction of pellets in a rotary hearth furnace (RHF). In the model, heat transfer, mass transfer, and gas-solid chemical reactions were taken into account. The behaviors of iron metallization and dezincification were analyzed by the numerical method, which was validated by experimental data of the direct reduction of pellets in a Si-Mo furnace. The simulation results show that if the production targets of iron metallization and dezincification are up to 80% and 90%, respectively, the furnace temperature for high-temperature sections must be set higher than 1300℃. Moreover, an undersupply of secondary air by 20% will lead to a decline in iron metallization rate of discharged pellets by 10% and a decrease in dezincing rate by 13%. In addition, if the residence time of pellets in the furnace is over 20 min, its further extension will hardly lead to an obvious increase in production indexes under the same furnace temperature curve.
Stress corrosion cracking of X80 pipeline steel exposed to high pH solutions with different concentrations of bicarbonate
Lin Fan, Cui-wei Du, Zhi-yong Liu, and  Xiao-gang Li
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 645-652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0778-4
Abstract:
Susceptibilities to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of X80 pipeline steel in high pH solutions with various concentrations of HCO3 at a passive potential of −0.2 V vs. SCE were investigated by slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test. The SCC mechanism and the effect of HCO3 were discussed with the aid of electrochemical techniques. It is indicated that X80 steel shows enhanced susceptibility to SCC with the concentration of HCO3 increasing from 0.15 to 1.00 mol/L, and the susceptibility can be evaluated in terms of current density at −0.2 V vs. SCE. The SCC behavior is controlled by the dissolution-based mechanism in these circumstances. Increasing the concentration of HCO3 not only increases the risk of rupture of passive films but also promotes the anodic dissolution of crack tips. Besides, little susceptibility to SCC is found in dilute solution containing 0.05 mol/L HCO3 for X80 steel. This can be attributed to the inhibited repassivation of passive films, manifesting as a more intensive dissolution in the non-crack tip areas than at the crack tips.
Effects of Sb and heat treatment on the microstructure of Al-15.5wt%Mg2Si alloy
Yu-hua Zhao, Xiu-bin Wang, Xing-hao Du, and  Chao Wang
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 653-658. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0779-3
Abstract:
The modification effects of alloying element Sb and heat treatment on Al-15.5wt%Mg2Si alloy were investigated by Olympus microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy and energy disperse spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It is found that Sb plays a significant role in shaping primary Mg2Si phase and eutectic Mg2Si phase in Al-15.5wt%Mg2Si alloy. The Sb addition of about 1.0wt% makes the resultant alloy show the finest primary Mg2Si phase and the eutectic Mg2Si phase with well distribution. But further increasing the Sb content decreases the amount of primary Mg2Si phase, and some segregated phases appear at regions between the grains. In addition, heat treatment can modify the microstructural feature of Sb-modified Al-15.5wt%Mg2Si alloy in terms of obviously shortening the nodulizing time of primary Mg2Si phase and eutectic Mg2Si phase.
Microstructural characteristics and aging response of Zn-containing Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy
Yuan-hua Cai, Cong Wang, and  Ji-shan Zhang
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 659-664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0780-x
Abstract:
Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys with and without Zn addition were fabricated by conventional ingot metallurgy method. The microstructures and properties were investigated using optical microscopy (OM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), tensile test, hardness test, and electrical conductivity measurement. It is found that the as-cast Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Zn alloy is composed of coarse dendritic grains, long needle-like β/δ-AlFeSi white intermetallics, and Chinese script-like α-AlFeSi compounds. During high temperature homogenization treatment, only harmful needle-like β-AlFeSi phase undergoes fragmentation and spheroidizing at its tips, and the destructive needle-like δ-phase does not show any morphological and size changes. Phase transitions from β-AlFeSi to α-AlFeSi and from δ-AlFeSi to β-AlFeSi are also not found. Zn addition improves the aging hardening response during the former aging stage and postpones the peak-aged hardness to a long aging time. In T4 condition, Zn addition does not obviously increase the yield strength and decrease the elongation, but it markedly improves paint-bake hardening response during paint-bake cycle. The addition of 0.5wt% Zn can lead to an increment of 99 MPa in yield strength compared with the value of 69 MPa for the alloy without Zn after paint-bake cycle.
High-cycle fatigue crack initiation and propagation in laser melting deposited TC18 titanium alloy
Yang Wang, Shu-quan Zhang, Xiang-jun Tian, and  Hua-ming Wang
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 665-670. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0781-9
Abstract:
This article examines fatigue crack nucleation and propagation in laser deposited TC18 titanium alloy. The Widmanstätten structure was obtained by double-annealing treatment. High-cycle fatigue (HCF) tests were conducted at room temperature with the stress ratio of 0.1 and the notch concentration factor Kt = 1. Fatigue cracks initiated preferentially at micropores, which had great effect on the HCF properties. The effect decreased with the decrease of pore size and the increase of distance from the pore location to the specimen surface. The crack initiation region was characterized by the cleavage facets of α lamella and the tearing of β matrix. The soft α precipitated-free zone formed along grain boundaries accelerated the crack propagation. Subsurface observation indicated that the crack preferred to propagate along the grain boundary α or border of α lamella or vertical to α lamella.
Electronic structure and properties of FeS2 with the space groups of Pa3 and P1
Cui-hua Zhao, Bo-zeng Wu, Jian-hua Chen, Yu-qiong Li, and  Ye Chen
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 671-677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0782-8
Abstract:
The electronic structure and properties of FeS2 with the space groups of Pa3 and P1 were studied by the density functional theory. The generalized-gradient approximation exchange-correlation functional was used in conjunction with a plane wave-ultrasoft pseudopotential representation. Calculation results show that differences are observed in electronic structures and properties between Pa3 and P1 crystals. The band gap and energy loss of P1 are smaller than those of Pa3 crystal, while the dielectric constant, conductivity, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and intensity of optical absorption of P1 are larger than those of Pa3. These behaviors are attributed to the differences in symmetry, atomic arrangement, and Mulliken bond population of each unit for Pa3 and P1 crystals.
Internal energy transfer phenomenon and light-emission properties of γ-LiAlO2 phosphor doped with Mn2+
Bai-Bin Wang, Chi-Fen Chang, and  Wein-Duo Yang
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 678-683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0783-7
Abstract:
γ-LiAlO2:Mn2+ phosphor was synthesized using the cellulose-citric acid sol-gel method, and its light emission and energy transfer properties were investigated. Excitation and emission spectrum analysis revealed a decrease in intensity of the spectrum as the amount of Mn2+ doping increased. Blasse’s equation determined the maximum distance for energy transfer between Mn2+ ions as 4.3142 nm. Dexter’s theory verifies that the mechanism of energy transfer between Mn2+ ions conforms to an electric dipole and electric quadrupole interaction.
Numerical simulation of temperature field in horizontal core-filling continuous casting for copper cladding aluminum rods
Ya-jun Su, Xin-hua Liu, Yong-fu Wu, Hai-you Huang, and  Jian-xin Xie
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 684-692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0784-6
Abstract:
The steady-state temperature field of horizontal core-filling continuous casting (HCFC) for producing copper cladding aluminum rods was simulated by finite element method to investigate the effects of key processing parameters on the positions of solid-liquid interfaces (SLIs) of copper and aluminum. It is found that mandrel tube length and mean withdrawing speed have significant effects on the SLI positions of both copper and aluminum. Aluminum casting temperature (TAl) (1003–1123 K) and secondary cooling water flux (600–900 L·h−1) have little effect on the SLI of copper but cause the SLI of aluminum to move 2–4 mm. When TAl is in a range of 1043–1123 K, the liquid aluminum can fill continuously into the pre-solidified copper tube. Based on the numerical simulation, reasonable processing parameters were determined.
High-frequency induction heated sintering of ball milled Fe-WC nanocomposites
M. Zakeri, T. Zanganeh, and  A. Najafi
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 693-699. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0785-5
Abstract:
Fe-WC nanocomposites were successfully fabricated by high-frequency induction heated sintering of ball milled nanostructure powders. The ball milled powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Density measurements by the Archimedes method show that all sintered samples have the relative density higher than 95%. Studies on the effects of WC content, milling speed, and milling time indicate that a higher milling speed and a more WC content lead to the improvement of mechanical properties. There is a very good distribution of WC particles in the Fe matrix at the milling speed of 650 r/min. For the sintered sample 20-5-650 (20wt% WC, milling time of 5 h, and milled speed of 650 r/min), the maximum Brinell hardness and yield stress are obtained to be 3.25 GPa and 858 MPa, respectively. All sintered samples have brittle fracture during compression test except the sample 20-5-650.
Magnetoresistive behavior and magnetization reversal of NiFe/Cu/CoFe/IrMn spin valve GMRs in nanoscale
Cong Yin, Ze Jia, Wei-chao Ma, and  Tian-ling Ren
2013, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 700-704. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-013-0786-4
Abstract:
The magnetoresistance behavior and the magnetization reversal mode of NiFe/Cu/CoFe/IrMn spin valve giant magnetoresistance (SV-GMR) in nanoscale were investigated experimentally and theoretically by nanosized magnetic simulation methods. Based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, a model with a special gridding was proposed to calculate the giant magnetoresistance ratio (MR) and investigate the magnetization reversal mode. The relationship between MR and the external magnetic field was obtained and analyzed. Studies into the variation of the magnetization distribution reveal that the magnetization reversal mode, that is, the jump variation mode for NiFe/Cu/CoFe/IrMn, depends greatly on the antiferromagnetic coupling behavior between the pinned layer and the antiferromagnetic layer. It is also found that the switching field is almost linear with the exchange coefficient.