Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

---

Abstract: Dolomite based refractories are widely used in Iranian steelmaking plants. In the present research, wear and corrosion of refractories used in steel-making converter lining in Esfahan Steel Company was studied. Post-mortem analysis of refractories clarified that the wear started with oxidation of carbon followed by chemical corrosion. Iron oxide from slag reacted with calcia, resulting in formation of low melting phase, and subsequent washout process, caused the refractory corrosion onset from the hot face. In addition, the effect of aluminum as an anti-oxidant and graphite on the corrosion resistance of refractory was investigated. Tar-dolomite samples containing different amount of graphite (0, 4, 7, and 10 wt. %) were prepared in order to study their physical properties, before and after coking. SEM micrographs employed to analyze the microstructures to determine the effect of graphite and antioxidant on corrosion behavior of the refractory. Results showed that oxidation process of carbon in the system was hindered and improved corrosion resistance by introducing graphite and antioxidant into the refractory composition.

---

In this research, two different carbonaceous materials (Graphite:G and Petrocoke:P) were separately compared in terms of the carbothermic reduction of hematite and anatase in order to synthesize Fe-TiC nanocrystalline composite by mechanically activated sintering method. Powders were activated in a planetary high-energy ball mill under argon atmosphere for 0, 2, 5, 10,and 20 h. Then, the activated powders were analyzed by XRD and SEM to investigate phase constituents and microstructure of the mixtures. Results proved that Fe 2 O 3 and TiO 2 were not reduced by carbonaceous materials even after 20h of milling. SEM investigations showed that G-mixture was more homogenous than P-mixture after 20h of milling, meaning that graphite-anatase-hematite was mixed satisfactorily. Thermogravimetry analysis was done on 0 and 20h milled powders. TG and DTG curves showed that mechanical activation led to almost 300°C decrease in the reduction temperature of hematite and anatase in both mixtures. In the next step, the powders were sintered in a tube furnace under argon atmosphere. In the G-mixture, anatase was reduced to titanium carbide at 1100°C but, in the P-mixture, temperature of 1200°C was essential for completely reducing anatase to titanium carbide.Results of phase identification of the sintered powders showed that anano-crystalline ironbased composite with titanium carbide, as the reinforcement was successfully synthesized after 20 h high-energy milling of the initial powders and subsequent sintering occurred at 1200˚C for 1h

---

Al2O3/TiC composites are used as cutting tools for machining gray cast iron and steels. The addition of iron improves the toughness of Al2O3/TiC composites. Ilmenite, aluminum and graphite can be used to produce in-situ Al2O3/TiC–Fe composites. However, the formation mechanism and reaction sequences of this system are not clear enough. Therefore, the present research is designed to determine the reactions mechanism of the first step of reactions that may be occurred between raw materials. In this research, pure ilmenite was synthesized to eliminate the effects of impurities available in the natural ilmenite in the system. The milled and pressed samples, prepared from the synthesized ilmenite, aluminum and graphite mixture with a molar ratio of 1:2:1, were heat treated at 720°C for 48h. In addition, two samples one containing ilmenite and aluminum with a molar ratio of 1:2 and ilmenite and graphite with a molar ratio of 1:1 were heat treated at 720°C for 48h. The final products were analyzed with XRD. It was found that at 720°C, aluminum reacts with FeTiO3, forming Fe, TiO2 and Al2O3. Since the aluminum content used in the mixture was more than the stoichiometry for reaction of ilmenite and aluminum, some unreacted aluminum remains. Therefore, the residual aluminum reacts with the reduced Fe to form Fe2Al5.

---

---

In this research, expanded graphite (EG) was successfully fabricated using a simple ball milling process followed by hydrofluoric (HF, 10 wt. %) leaching. The effects of ball milling time (0-15 h) and leaching time (1-24 h) on the exfoliation of graphite were examined by XRD and Raman spectra. Furthermore, the morphological evaluation of the obtained expanded graphite samples was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD results of the ball-milled and HF treated samples showed a slight peak shift and broadening of (002) plane for expanded graphite compared to the precursor and HF-treated samples. Moreover, the intensity of the (002) planes remarkably decreased by the ball milling process but remained constant after HF treatment. Raman spectra of the samples confirmed the ordering process only in HF-treated specimens. Moreover, the intensity ratio of 2D₁ to 2D₂ band gradually increased with enhancing the HF treatment time up to 5 hours, indicating a decrement in the number of graphite layers by leaching in the HF solution.

---

1. In this article, the effect of graphite on iron-silicon interactions was investigated. It was found that, as graphite enters the iron structure, it permits further development of iron-silicon reactions. It was found that in the stoichiometric ratio of 1:0.5 of iron and silicon, when graphite is added to the system, simultaneously with the reaction of iron and silicon to form Fe₃Si₅, some amount of carbon can be dissolved in the iron and lead to more diffusion in iron and more iron silicide production. Silicon also reacts with carbon and produces SiC. The more amount of carbon entered into the system, the more growth of SiC occurs, while the production of other iron silicide phases, namely FeSi and Fe₃Si preceded. Finally diffused carbon into the iron reaches a definite amount that can form Fe₃C. In the stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 of iron and silicon, the formation of FeSi and SiC phases is observable. At the same time, the diffusion of carbon occurs in the same as the previous stoichiometric ratio. In the stoichiometric ratio of 1:2 of iron and silicon, compared with the stoichiometric ratio of 1:1, a larger amount of silicon is available and, the FeSi₂ phase can form in addition to FeSi