6. Metallurgy in a pocket

The alloy in its liquid state can be subjected to a variety of metallurgical operations between the preparation tool, in the case of a converter (AOD, CLU, K-OBM-S), and the continuous casting machine:

• addition of stabilizing elements such as titanium, niobium, vanadium and zirconium in an airtight environment using the flux-cored wire technique;

• further deoxidation of the liquid bath by the addition of aluminum, calcium, rare earths, etc., in the absence of air, using the flux-cored wire technique. This operation, which can be of vital importance, has a direct impact on the inclusion cleanliness of the material, and therefore on its forgeability, corrosion resistance, weldability and machinability;

• Thermal and analytical homogenization of the bath, by injecting a neutral...