Technical Information 10 Tundish Cover Ladle Nodularization

Magnesium treatment for nodularization of ductile iron can be carried out by several different treatment processes. The tundish cover ladle process will under most conditions, be a convenient, effective and reliable process with good economy. The process provides good consistency and high recoveries of magnesium over a wide range of treatment sizes. A welloperated system will give between 60 80 % recovery of magnesium while the operating and maintenance costs normally fall well below most other commercial processes. Tundish ladle treatments also offer virtually no flare, about 90 % fume reduction, no metal splashing and minimum carbon and temperature losses. The figure below shows an example of a tundish cover ladle.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of a tundish cover ladle with dual alloy pockets.

Calculation of Filling Hole Dimensions The following formula can be used to calculate the diameter of the tundish lid filling hole:

d = 0.07

W th

Where d is the filling hole diameter in centimetres (cm), W is the liquid iron batch weight in grams (g), t is the pouring time in seconds (s), and h is the ferrostatic height of metal in the tundish basin in centimetres (cm). Note: h is the height of metal, not the height of the basin itself. Base metal sulphur contents should preferably not exceed 0.02% before treatment to ensure maximum efficiency of the tundish ladle. If sulphur levels are higher, a desulphurizing step is recommended prior to nodularization.

Elkem ASA, Silicon Division

Postal address: P.O.Box 5211 Majorstua N-0303 Oslo Norway Office address: Hoffsveien 65 B Oslo Telephone: 47 22 45 01 00 Telefax 47 22 45 01 52 Revision No. 2 14.03.1997

Magnesium Alloy Selection and Addition The tundish cover process may be used with most magnesium ferrosilicon alloys containing between 3 to 12 % magnesium but generally alloys containing 4 6% Mg are used. Typically an alloy of the following composition: 45% Si 5% Mg 1% Ca 1% RE max. 1% Al Bal. Fe

would be used to treat base iron composed of a mixture of steel scrap, pig iron and returns. Alloy size grading of about 1 10 mm is most suitable for small treatments while sizes up to 4 35 mm are preferable for larger treatments. See Elkem Technical Information Sheet No. 20 for more details on selection of nodularizers in ductile iron. The amount of alloy added usually lies between 1.2 and 1.8 weight % depending on the base sulphur content, the metal temperature, the magnesium content of the alloy and the consistency with which the process is carried out. Cover Material Selection It is recommended to use a cover material over the magnesium alloy in the reaction chamber in order to obtain maximum treatment economy. The cover should retain the alloy in the chamber for as long as possible before the reaction starts. Covers commonly consist of clean steel plate or clippings of a grade similar to that used in the melt charges. Cast iron cover plates can be cast from the spare metal left at the end of a cast thus avoiding the carbon dilution due to the steel cover. However, the best results are obtained using a ferrosilicon alloy as a cover material. Example of Recovery Improvements

Figure 2: Schematic representation of recovery improvements as a function of sulphur content, treatment temperature, and ladle design modifications. The initial case of 2.0 wt% addition rate represents a situation with 0.03% S and 1520 C treatment temperature.