Modern Techniques for Stainless Steelmaking

Abstract

In order to enable decarburisation of molten metal alloyed with a chromium content close to that sought in stainless steel, without prohibiting slagging of the chromium, new techniques have rapidly come into use over the last ten years. They have enabled a considerable improvement to be obtained in the chargings. Now, in the stainless steel economy, the charge cost on operational cost-ratio is greater than 5; this justifies practically any increase in refining costs resulting from the use of more highly carburised raw materials which are, in fact, the least expensive to manufacture. As with all major industrial refining by oxidation process, present refining methods for stainless steel are divided between oxygen blowing by lances and oxygen blow-ing by tuyeres with, in addition, as is often desirable, vacuum techniques. The AOD process is, at the present time, predominant. But, when stainless steel in its turn moves into the area of mass production, it is scarcely conveivable that the development of new methods will not be seen to bring about further progress.