Physical Modeling of Erosion Destruction of Teeming Ladle Lining in the Process of Its Exploitation

The aim of the work is to determine the conditions for reducing the rate of erosion destruction of teeming ladles lining by flows of liquid metal. A concomitant and inherent positive effect is the reduction of steel pollution by the products of lining destruction (exogenous non-metallic inclusions). In the article there have been discussed the mechanisms of destruction of the refractories of teeming ladles. It is observed a significant effect of erosive destruction of the lining during the steel production from the steelmaking unit and in the process of its filling on its life. The authors have proposed a method of physical modeling of erosive destruction of refractories using the basic principles of the similarity theory. Based on the π-theorem, the authors proposed dimensionless similarity numbers, based on which the model scales were determined, in particular, the scale factors for the refractory hardness, fluid density, linear scale of the model and the rate of destruction of refractory. Using the obtained scales, the authors assembled an experimental facility and developed the methodology of an experiment. For the experiment, large-scale models of ladles with standard and developed scheme of lining were used. After carrying out physical modeling, the depth of lining destruction of the ladle model has been measured using a special technique. Based on the results of measurement, a topographic scheme of the lining destruction of the model ladle for the standard and proposed lining has been drown. It has been determined that the developed lining design provided protection for the “impact zone” and reduced the intensity of lining erosion in the area of joint the walls and the bottom of the ladle by the flows of liquid metal. The average rate of destruction of the bottom when using the developed design of the lining is reduced by 18%. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the development of the theoretical foundations of the physical low-temperature modeling of erosive destruction of the ladles lining and other metallurgical units by high-temperature metal melts. The practical significance of the work is the lining design of the teeming ladles, which provides a long life of the teeming ladles with a simultaneous decrease in the level of steel pollution by exogenous nonmetallic inclusions.