Abstract
Research was conducted to identify the characteristics of cupola coke, which affect the properties of foundry-iron.
Cupola coke is the source of many of elements that inevitably make it into the products of smelting. Such elements include not only carbon and sulfur, but many others as well, such as silicon, manganese, phosphorus, calcium, etc. The following elements pre-sent a particular interest: silicon, which contributes to the graphitization of foundry-iron, of which the largest amount is in coke ash content, and phosphorus, which is a detrimental impurity for foundry-iron.
Experimental research has shown that with increasing instantaneous ash content, the amount of silicon in the foundry-iron increases. With an increase in the reactivity of coke, the silicon content in the liquid-alloy decreases, which is related to the con-sumption of coke silicon oxide for carbide formation. At the same time, approximately 50% of the total coke ash content’s silicone dioxide is spent for the silicon reclamation through SiC and only about 30% through the gas phase of SiO.
It has been established that the reclamation of phosphorus to foundry-iron is possible with the usage of foundry-iron carbon, which leads to a decrease in its content in the metal. Cupola coke is one of the sources of phosphorus in the cupola smelting of iron, and the phosphorus content in the cupola coke is a characteristic that affects the phosphorus content in the foundry-iron produced.
Experimental research has shown that a high content of carbon in cupola coke contributes to the formation of a larger num-ber of colonies with a high content of graphite. The parameters of the phosphide eutectic are correlated with the phosphorus content in the foundry-iron. Accordingly, the average diameter of the cells of the phosphide eutectic mesh is the smallest for foundry-iron smelted in a batch of cupola coke with lower instantaneous ash content. A lower phosphorus content in foundry-iron, which has a higher content of carbon, is consistent with an increased carbon content in the cupola coke.
Keywords
Cupola coke, foundry-iron, instantaneous ash content, phosphorous content, cast iron structure