IN-SITU OBSERVATION OF BUBBLES IN MOLTEN PIG-IRON

Background/purpose: Although the principle of gas injection in molten pig iron is of utmost importance in the steel industry, the visualizat ion studies of bubbles in molten metal are quite rare in the metallurg ical literature due to the extreme difficulty of experimentation. The present study attempts one such visualization which is supported by th e pertinent theoretical analysis. Methods: Direct observation of Ar bu bbles in molten pig iron was conducted using a recently-developed high voltage X-ray fluoroscopic technique. A large number of bubble photog raphs were subjected to theoretical analysis revealing some fundamenta l information regarding the mechanism of bubble formation in a molten iron bath. Results: A large number of deformed bubbles were visualized during this study which were earlier predicted by theoretical analysi s and computer simulation. The theoretical analysis carried out during this study highlighted the fundamental principles behind such bubble deformation. Conclusion: A further insight into the process of formati on of bubbles inside a molten metal is obtained in this study and the findings of this work are expected to be more reliable than the conven tional water model studies. (C) Munksgaard, 1997.