High Purity Smelting Technology for Ultra-high Strength Steels

Abstract

Ultra-high strength steel with high tensile strength, good toughness, high specific strength, modulus and other characteristics are widely used in aviation, aerospace and national defense and other fields. Ultra-high strength steel is preferred material for aircraft and aero-engines and other aviation equipments. The application of ultra-high strength steel represents a country's highest level of steel research and production, and it is also an important symbol of the development of national science and technology and national defense industry. The development and application of high purity smelting technology for manufacture of ultra-high strength steels at domestic and overseas is briefly reviewed in the paper, and then the control ability about the impurity elements such as S, P, O and N in typical ultra-high strength steels, and the research status and development trend of non-metallic inclusions control are discussed. The progress in research work of high purity smelting technology for ultra-high strength steels carried out by the authors in recent years has been introduced, it shows that the control level of impurity elements and non-metallic inclusion has been greatly improved, and it also creates a new route for China to manufacture the ultra-high strength steel with high alloy, especially with high purity for ultra-high strength stainless steel, bearing steel and gear steel. Finally, the development direction of high purity smelting technology of ultra-high strength steel in China is pointed out.

Keywords

• ultra-high strength steel
• high purity smelting
• impurity elements
• non-metallic inclusions