Control of Aluminum and Titanium Contents in the Electroslag Remelting of ATI 718PlusTM Alloy

Abstract

The burning loss of Al and Ti elements in superalloys during electroslag remelting has become a prevalent issue. And the existing slag system is not suitable for smelting the ATI 718PlusTM alloy. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a new slag system for smelting the ATI 718PlusTM alloy. To mitigate this issue, a thermodynamic model of the oxidation reaction of Al and Ti at the slag and alloy interface was established based on the ion and molecule coexistence theory (IMCT). The thermodynamic model was used to investigate the correlation between the equilibrium content of Al and Ti, slag composition, smelting temperature, and initial Al and Ti content of the electrode. The results indicate that while increasing the smelting temperature can effectively inhibit the burning loss of Al, it will exacerbate the burning loss of Ti. Increasing CaO and Al2O3 contents can inhibit the Al burning loss, while an increase in the TiO2 content can inhibit the Ti burning loss. Although an increase in the MgO content results in the burning loss of Al, its impact on the Al is minimal. The burning loss of Al and Ti was not affected by the change in the CaF2 content. The high Al content in ATI 718PlusTM makes it prone to burning loss of Al during the electroslag remelting. The combustion loss of Al can be reduced by increasing the Ti content in the electrode or adding a suitable amount of aluminum powder to the slag system. The accuracy of the model had been validated through experimental verification.