MELTING-POINT DETERMINATIONS OF TIO2-RICH SLAG

In this work a technique for the rapid determination of the liquidus a nd solidus temperatures of oxide systems-in particular titania-rich sl ags with equivalent TiO2 contents of 85% and above-was developed. The technique employs a thermocouple to serve the three functions of heati ng element, sample holder and temperature sensor. Liquidus and solidus temperatures were determined from the cooling curves recorded with th is thermocouple. The technique was calibrated against the known Al2O3- CaO binary system and accuracies of +/-20 degrees C were obtained. FeO and TiO2 samples melted in atmospheres with different partial oxygen pressures, utilizing the thermocouple configuration of the present stu dy, indicated rapid reaction of the samples with the atmosphere.