Reduction kinetics of steels under electron-beam heatign conditions

Results of investigations into the kinetics of oxygen removal from melts with carbon content 0.21 and 0.98% (steel 20 Kh and 9Kh18) are presented. The reduction kinetics of iron-carbon melts in the case of electron-beam metal melting in the crystallizer is characterized by two different process mechanisms. A high rate of metal deoxidation in the first period (about 2 min) is interconnected with.the bubbling of the melt with carbon oxide, where mass transfer processes are caused by the rate of turbulent diffusion. Low rate of metal reduction in the second period is connected with the evaporation of carbon oxide from the surface of the melt and is limited by oxygen diffusion. The stability of mechanisms of removal of carbon oxide is characterized by the stability of the energy value of the activation of oxygen removal process. The rate of reduction of iron-carbon melts depends on carbon concentration in metal and reduces with the increase of the latter