Rare Earth Metal-containing Inclusions at the Gas/Steel Interface and Submerged Entry Nozzle Clogging

Steel cleanliness is a major issue in the production of high quality steels. Non-metallic inclusions in steel are generally considered to be harmful to steel properties, such as ductility, toughness, fatigue strength and corrosion resistance, Compared with the fine inclusion particles, the big inclusions is easier to be removed for its bigger buoyancy, and collisions between inclusions is an important way for their growth[5]. Therefore, it is crucial to study the mechanism of inclusion collision, agglomeration and cluster after their formation. This project consist of two parts, which are (1) ‘in-situ’ observation of collision, agglomeration and clustering of inclusion particles under the condition with different shape and status (solid or liquid), and (2) mathematical simulation of collision, agglomeration and clustering of inclusion and the behavior of inclusions in different shapes.