Ferroalloys are alloys of one or more metals or non-metallic elements. They cannot be used directly as metal materials, but are mainly used as deoxidizers and intermediate raw materials for alloying agents in steel production.
(1) Used as a deoxidizer. In steel smelting, impurities such as carbon and phosphorus oxidize in molten iron. After the oxidation process is completed, oxygen enters the molten steel. If this oxygen remains in the steel, it significantly reduces its performance. Therefore, it is necessary to add elements that have a strong binding force with oxygen and whose deoxidation products can be easily removed from the molten steel, thereby reducing the oxygen content of the molten steel. This process is called steel deoxidation. The elements or alloys used for deoxidation are called deoxidizers. Commonly used deoxidizers such as manganese, silicon and aluminum. These elements are most often added to molten steel in the form of iron alloys Fe-Mn, Fe-Si, and Al. The stronger the element's ability to bind to oxygen, the higher its content in the steel and the better its deoxidizing effect.
(2) Used as an alloying agent: Alloying elements not only reduce the amount of impurities in steel, but also regulate its chemical composition. The elements or alloys used to adjust the chemical composition of steel and alloy it are called alloying agents. Commonly used alloying elements include silicon, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, titanium, tungsten, cobalt, boron, niobium, etc.
(3) Improvement of casting process and casting properties = Ferroalloys can also be used as additives in the foundry industry to improve the casting process and casting properties.
(4) As a reducing agent: Ferrosilicon can be used as a reducing agent in the production of ferroalloys such as ferromolybdenum and ferrovanadium. Silicon-chromium alloys and silicon-manganese alloys can be used as reducing agents for ferrochrome refining and ferromanganese refining, respectively.
(5) Other uses: Ferroalloys are also widely used in other industries. For example, ferrosilicon powder can be used as an additive in electrode coatings in the welding industry. In the mineral processing industry, ferrosilicon powder can be used as a suspending agent, and in the electronics industry, high-purity industrial silicon, after some processing, can be used as silicon transistors. These two alloying elements can be fused together to produce high-temperature resistance wires, such as Cr20Ni80.
