A ferro alloy comprises iron and aluminium is Ferro Aluminium (FeAl). The aluminium content in ferro alloy is about 40 to 60 percent. Low melting point alloys can be manufactured using this ferro alloy. It can also use be used in aluminothermic welding. The iron content in this ferro alloy is beneficial for maintaining strength at high temperatures, reducing casting defects and improving hardness, tensile and yield. The countries in which this ferro alloy is largely produced are the US, Canada, Australia, Russia and China.
Manufacturing Process:
The steps carried out in the manufacturing of Ferro Aluminium (FeAl) are explained below:
The digestion of bauxite with sodium hydroxide at temperature of 240 degrees Celsius in Bayer process gives Alumina (Al2O3).
In order to obtain Aluminium, alumina undergo a Hall electrolytic process along with Cryolite. This aluminium is then combined with Iron to form Ferro Aluminium.
The metal is then solidified, milled and sieved in order to get desird particle size for its addition in steel and cast iron.
Applications:
There are many applications of Ferro Aluminium, some of which are mentioned below:
Benefits of Ferro Aluminium:
During the production of amorphous metals, Metallic Aluminium is added to remove iron oxide and other impurities by reacting with it, but the resultant product of the reaction, which is Alumina remains in the steel. One can use microscope to detect the alumina presence in aluminium-treated steel. The aluminium content in aluminium-treated steel is chemically combined with oxygen as alumina. It is not mandatory that alumina amount in the steel is always similar, which is why the obtained ingots have different physical qualities, for instance ductility, but similar physical composition.
The light weight Mettalic Aluminium cannot enter into the molten steel body, plus it quickly and intantaneously reacts with oxides and atmospheric oxygen at high temperatures. This results in ineffectual burning of considerable amount of the aluminium added.