A closure element for an internal passage in a component, and a related method and turbine blade or nozzle are disclosed. The closure element includes a spherical body made of a first superalloy, and a plurality of extensions extending from a surface of the spherical body. The plurality of extensions made of the same, similar or different material other than the first superalloy. Subjecting the component to at least one thermal cycle causes a braze material to form a metallurgical bond with the spherical body, the plurality of extensions and the passage wall to seal the internal passage.

Provided is a method for preparing an amorphous strip master alloy. The method includes: providing an amorphous alloy and cementite Fe.sub.3C; and placing the amorphous alloy and the cementite Fe.sub.3C in a smelting furnace for smelting treatment to obtain the amorphous strip master alloy, wherein elements constituting the amorphous alloy include Fe element, Si element and B element. An amorphous strip master alloy prepared by the preparation method is also provided.

A method and system for recovering a high yield of low carbon ferroalloy, e.g., low carbon ferrochrome, from chromite and low carbon ferrochrome produced by the method. A stoichiometric mixture of feed materials including scrap aluminum granules, lime, silica sand, and chromite ore are provided into a plasma arc furnace. The scrap aluminum granules are produced from used aluminum beverage containers. The feed materials are heated, whereupon the aluminum in the aluminum granules produces an exothermic reaction reducing the chromium oxide and iron oxide in the chromite to produce molten low carbon ferrochrome with molten slag floating thereon. The molten low carbon ferrochrome is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of low carbon ferrochrome. The molten slag is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of slag.

Provided is an alloy steel manufacturing method, the method including: preparing a manganese-containing first molten ferroalloy; preparing a chromium-containing second molten alloy; preparing molten steel; mixing the first molten ferroalloy and the second molten ferroalloy to manufacture third molten ferroalloy; and mix pouring the third molten ferroalloy and the molten steel to manufacture an alloy steel, wherein the phosphorous concentration in the molten steel may efficiently be controlled by reducing the converter end point temperature of the molten steel to improve a phosphorous control capacity during converter refining.

The present invention relates to a silicon based alloy comprising between 45 and 95% by weight of Si; max 0.05% by weight of C; 0.4-30% by weight Cr; 0.01-10% by weight of Al; 0.01-0.3% by weight of Ca; max 0.10% by weight of Ti; up to 25% by weight of Mn; 0.005-0.07% by weight of P; 0.001-0.02% by weight of S; the balance being Fe and incidental impurities in the ordinary amount, a method for the production of said alloy and the use thereof.

A direct reduction process for the production of ferrochrome from chromite ore or concentrate is disclosed. According to the present invention, calcium chloride (CaCl.sub.2) is added as a catalyst to accelerate the solid reduction and enhance the particle growth of the metallic phase (i.e. ferrochrome) during reduction. The reduction of chromite ore or concentrate takes place at much lower temperatures (e.g. 1200 to 1400° C.) compared to the conventional smelting technologies, and the ferrochrome particles formed are segregated from the unwanted residual gangue and spinel particles, facilitating their subsequent physical separation.

Components suitable for chemically aggressive environments are disclosed, as well as methods for producing the components. One component may include a substrate having at least one surface having a layer system, which may include an amorphous carbon layer. The layer system may include at least one metallic intermediate layer which is arranged between the substrate and the amorphous carbon layer. The metallic intermediate layer may include titanium, a titanium alloy, nickel, or a nickel alloy. A two-layer bonding layer may be arranged between the at least one intermediate layer and the substrate and a first bonding layer composed of NiP. A second bonding layer composed of a nickel-chromium alloy or a nickel-vanadium alloy may also be present. The amorphous carbon layer may form an outer layer of the layer system facing away from the substrate and may comprise at least one amorphous hydrogen-containing carbon layer.

A closure element for an internal passage in a component, and a related method and turbine blade or nozzle are disclosed. The closure element includes a spherical body made of a first superalloy, and a plurality of extensions extending from a surface of the spherical body. The plurality of extensions made of the same, similar or different material other than the first superalloy. Subjecting the component to at least one thermal cycle causes a braze material to form a metallurgical bond with the spherical body, the plurality of extensions and the passage wall to seal the internal passage.

An inoculant for the manufacture of cast iron with spheroidal graphite is disclosed, the inoculant has a particulate ferrosilicon alloy having between 40 and 80% by weight of Si; 0.02-8% by weight of Ca; 0-5% by weight of Sr; 0-12% by weight of Ba; 0-15% by weight of rare earth metal; 0-5% by weight of Mg; 0.05-5% by weight of Al; 0-10% by weight of Mn; 0-10% by weight of Ti; 0-10 by weight of Zr; the balance being Fe and incidental impurities in the ordinary amount, wherein the inoculant additionally contains, by weight, based on the total weight of inoculant: 0.1 to 15% of particulate Bi.sub.2S.sub.3, and optionally between 0.1 and 15% of particulate Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, and/or between 0.1 and 15% of particulate Sb.sub.2O.sub.3, and/or between 0.1 and 15% of particulate Sb.sub.2S.sub.3, and/or between 0.1 and 5% of particulate Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, FeO, or a mixture thereof, and/or between 0.1 and 5% of one or more of particulate FeS, FeS.sub.2, Fe.sub.3S.sub.4, or a mixture thereof, a method for producing such inoculant and use of such inoculant.

A direct reduction process for the production of ferrochrome from chromite ore or concentrate is disclosed. According to the present invention, calcium chloride (CaCl.sub.2) is added as a catalyst to accelerate the solid reduction and enhance the particle growth of the metallic phase (i.e. ferrochrome) during reduction. The reduction of chromite ore or concentrate takes place at much lower temperatures (e.g. 1200 to 1400 C.) compared to the conventional smelting technologies, and the ferrochrome particles formed are segregated from the unwanted residual gangue and spinel particles, facilitating their subsequent physical separation.