The role of ferrosilicon in Steelmaking and ironmaking
Ferrosilicon is a kind of ferroalloy widely used. It is a ferrosilicon alloy composed of silicon and iron in a certain proportion, and is an indispensable material for steelmaking, such as FeSi75, FeSi65, and FeSi45.
State: Natural block, off-white, with a thickness of about 100mm. (Whether there are cracks in the appearance, whether the color is faded by hand, and whether the percussion sound is crisp)
Raw material composition: Ferrosilicon is made by electric furnace smelting with coke, steel scraps (iron oxide scale), and quartz (or silica) as raw materials.
Why is ferrosilicon essential in steelmaking?
Due to the strong affinity between silicon and oxygen, after ferrosilicon is added to steelmaking, the following deoxidation reactions occur:
2FeO+Si=2Fe+SiO₂
Silica is a product of deoxidation. It is lighter than molten steel. It floats on the surface of steel and enters the slag, thereby removing oxygen from the steel. It can significantly increase the strength, hardness and elasticity of the steel, increase the magnetic permeability of the steel, and reduce the transformer. Hysteresis loss of steel.
What are the other uses of ferrosilicon?
1. Used as an inoculant and spheroidizing agent in the cast iron industry;
2. Ferrosilicon is added as a reducing agent when smelting certain ferroalloy products;
3. Silicon has important physical properties such as low electrical conductivity, poor thermal conductivity, and strong magnetic permeability, so ferrosilicon is also used as an alloying agent in silicon steel making.
4. Ferrosilicon is often used in the high-temperature smelting process of metallic magnesium in the Pidgeon method of magnesium smelting
5. Use in other respects. The ground or atomized ferrosilicon powder can be used as the suspended phase in the mineral processing industry. It can be used as coating for welding rods in welding rod manufacturing. High-silicon ferrosilicon can be used to make products such as silicone in the chemical industry.