A method for producing a molten steel may provide: solid-state direct reduced iron containing 3.0% by mass or more of SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in total and 1.0% by mass or more of carbon, a ratio of a metallic iron to a total iron content contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron being 90% by mass or more, and an excess carbon content Cx to the carbon contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron being 0.2% by mass or more. Such methods may include: a slag separation including heating the solid-state direct reduced iron and melting it in an electric furnace without introducing oxygen to separate into a molten steel and a slag, and continuously discharging the slag, and a decarburization including blowing, in the electric furnace, a total amount of oxygen introduced into the electric furnace to the molten steel to decarburize the molten steel after the slag separation.

A method for producing a molten steel may provide: solid-state direct reduced iron containing 3.0% by mass or more of SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in total and 1.0% by mass or more of carbon, a ratio of a metallic iron to a total iron content contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron being 90% by mass or more, and an excess carbon content Cx to the carbon contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron being 0.2% by mass or more. Such methods may include: a slag separation including heating the solid-state direct reduced iron and melting it in an electric furnace without introducing oxygen to separate into a molten steel and a slag, and continuously discharging the slag, and a decarburization including blowing, in the electric furnace, a total amount of oxygen introduced into the electric furnace to the molten steel to decarburize the molten steel after the slag separation.

In a method for producing a molten steel according to one aspect of the present invention, the solid-state direct reduced iron contains 3.0% by mass or more of SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in total and 1.0% by mass or more of carbon. A ratio of a metallic iron to the total iron content contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron is 90% by mass or more, and an excess carbon content Cx is 0.2% by mass or more to the carbons contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron. The method includes a step in a first furnace of melting 40 to 100% by mass of the solid-state direct reduced iron, and separating a molten pig iron having a carbon content of 2.0 to 5.0% by mass and a temperature of 1350 to 1550° C. and a slag having a basicity of 1.0 to 1.4 and a step in a second furnace of melting a remainder of the solid reduced iron together with the molten pig iron separated in the first furnace and blowing oxygen onto the molten material to decarburize into a molten steel.

The present disclosure provides a method of making low carbon steel. The method includes tapping the liquid steel out of a primary steelmaking furnace. Deoxidizing the liquid steel. Transferring the deoxidized liquid steel to a ladle metallurgy furnace. Removing sulfur at the ladle metallurgy furnace. Adding fluxes and arcing the liquid steel to prevent sulfur reversion. Transferring the liquid steel from the ladle metallurgy furnace to an RH degasser for carbon removal. The removal of oxygen and sulfur prior to transferring the liquid steel to the RH degasser facilitates nitrogen removal and prevents carbon pick up during the step sulfur removal.

The present disclosure provides a method of making low carbon steel. The method includes tapping the liquid steel out of a primary steelmaking furnace. Deoxidizing the liquid steel. Transferring the deoxidized liquid steel to a ladle metallurgy furnace. Removing sulfur at the ladle metallurgy furnace. Adding fluxes and arcing the liquid steel to prevent sulfur reversion. Transferring the liquid steel from the ladle metallurgy furnace to an RH degasser for carbon removal. The removal of oxygen and sulfur prior to transferring the liquid steel to the RH degasser facilitates nitrogen removal and prevents carbon pick up during the step sulfur removal.

The present invention discloses a wire rod for an ultrahigh-strength steel cord and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method includes: smelting molten steel where inclusions in sizes ≥5 μm are at a number density ≤0.5/mm.sup.2 and sizes of inclusions are ≤30 μm; casting the molten steel into an ingot blank with a center carbon segregation value of 0.92-1.08; cogging the ingot blank into an intermediate blank with a center carbon segregation value of 0.95-1.05; rolling the intermediate blank into a wire rod; and performing temperature control cooling on the wire rod to obtain a wire rod with high purity, high homogeneity and tensile strength ≤1,150 MPa. The wire rod may be used for an ultrahigh-strength steel cord with single tensile strength ≥3,600 MPa.

The present invention discloses a wire rod for an ultrahigh-strength steel cord and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method includes: smelting molten steel where inclusions in sizes ≥5 μm are at a number density ≤0.5/mm.sup.2 and sizes of inclusions are ≤30 μm; casting the molten steel into an ingot blank with a center carbon segregation value of 0.92-1.08; cogging the ingot blank into an intermediate blank with a center carbon segregation value of 0.95-1.05; rolling the intermediate blank into a wire rod; and performing temperature control cooling on the wire rod to obtain a wire rod with high purity, high homogeneity and tensile strength ≤1,150 MPa. The wire rod may be used for an ultrahigh-strength steel cord with single tensile strength ≥3,600 MPa.

A decarburization end point determination method includes: estimating the carbon concentration and oxygen concentration of the molten steel and carbon dioxide gas concentration of exhaust gas in the vacuum chamber by using measurement values of the carbon concentration and the oxygen concentration of the molten steel, a measurement value of internal pressure of the vacuum chamber, and a model formula; correcting a parameter included in the model formula to reduce at least one of a difference between an estimate value and a measurement value of the oxygen concentration and a difference between an estimate value and a measurement value of the carbon dioxide gas concentration of the exhaust gas; estimating the carbon concentration of the molten steel by using the model formula in which the parameter is corrected; and determining timing when an estimate value reaches a target value as the completion time point of the vacuum decarburization treatment.

A decarburization end point determination method includes: estimating the carbon concentration and oxygen concentration of the molten steel and carbon dioxide gas concentration of exhaust gas in the vacuum chamber by using measurement values of the carbon concentration and the oxygen concentration of the molten steel, a measurement value of internal pressure of the vacuum chamber, and a model formula; correcting a parameter included in the model formula to reduce at least one of a difference between an estimate value and a measurement value of the oxygen concentration and a difference between an estimate value and a measurement value of the carbon dioxide gas concentration of the exhaust gas; estimating the carbon concentration of the molten steel by using the model formula in which the parameter is corrected; and determining timing when an estimate value reaches a target value as the completion time point of the vacuum decarburization treatment.

A method of making steel by deeply dephosphorization in a hot metal tank and decarburization using semi-steel with nearly zero phosphorus load in a converter includes the following steps: putting an efficient dephosphorization agent into the hot metal tank in advance, and conducting dephosphorization during blast furnace tapping and transportation of blast furnace hot metal by the hot metal tank to obtain semi-steel with [P] less than 0.04 wt. % and [C] greater than or equal to 3.5 wt. %; and removing dephosphorization slag, and pouring the semi-steel into the converter for decarburization to obtain molten steel. The efficient dephosphorization agent includes iron oxide scale, lime, and composite calcium ferrite. According to the method, a phosphorus content of the blast furnace hot metal is reduced to be less than or equal to 0.04 wt. % through the efficient dephosphorization agent.