Material knowledge
Technical articles on alloys, ferroalloys, titanium sponge and industrial minerals — the background you need when writing a specification and choosing a material.
Articles
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Fundamentals25 October 20267 min read
What is an alloy?
The definition of an alloy, solid solutions and intermetallic structures, what alloying elements do, how alloys are produced, and why master alloys are used.
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Ferroalloys25 October 20268 min read
What are ferroalloys?
What ferroalloys are, carbothermic and metallothermic production routes, the main types, why the carbon level matters, and what to watch when writing a specification.
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Titanium25 October 20268 min read
Titanium sponge: what it is and how it is produced
What titanium sponge is, the steps of the Kroll process, the quality classes, and the impurity levels to watch when buying.
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Minerals25 October 20267 min read
What you need to know about industrial minerals
The difference between mineral, ore and concentrate; the main industrial minerals used in metallurgy; grade, impurity, particle size and moisture criteria.
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Ferroalloys25 October 20269 min read
What is ferrochrome? High-carbon and low-carbon ferrochrome compared
What ferrochrome is, the HC/MC/LC grades, how the carbon level affects stainless steel, particle size, what drives the price, and what to put in a ferrochrome specification.
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Superalloys25 October 20269 min read
What is a superalloy? Nickel-based superalloys and where they are used
What superalloys are, the γ′ phase in nickel-based systems, the role of each alloying element, the production chain (VIM-VAR-ESR), and the master alloys used in superalloy production.
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Foundry25 October 20268 min read
What is ductile iron? Spheroidal graphite cast iron and the magnesium addition
Graphite morphology in spheroidal graphite (ductile) cast iron, the role of the magnesium addition, nodularising with nickel-magnesium master alloy, sulphur control, and choosing ductile iron raw material.
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Steelmaking25 October 20268 min read
Deoxidation in steel: the role of ferrosilicon, silicomanganese and aluminium
Why deoxidation is needed, the difference between killed and rimmed steel, deoxidation with ferrosilicon, silicomanganese, aluminium and calcium silicide, inclusion modification, and material selection.
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Stainless steel25 October 20269 min read
Alloying elements and raw material selection in stainless steel production
What makes stainless steel stainless, the difference between 304 and 316, the chromium-nickel-molybdenum balance, the PREN value, sensitisation, and the raw materials used in stainless steel production.
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Titanium25 October 20268 min read
Titanium alloys: what is Ti-6Al-4V and where is it used?
Titanium's alpha, beta and alpha-beta alloys, the composition and properties of Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V), the ELI grade, why oxygen control matters, and the raw materials used in titanium alloy production.
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