ferroalloy
Ferroalloy is an alloy of iron with one or more of the elements manganese, silicon, chromium, or vanadium. Ferroalloys are primarily used in steelmaking for the addition of elements to iron in liquid metal form and for properties, such as hardness, strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance.
Key Features:
- Alloying Element: Common ferroalloys include ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, ferrochromium, and ferrotungsten, each giving its own characteristics to steel.
- Role in Steelmaking: Ferroalloys provide a way to deoxidize and alloy, refining steel in the way it is intended and changing the chemical composition of steel to achieve the desired mechanical properties of steel.
- Enhancement of Steel Properties: Ferroalloys provide enhancements to various steel properties including, but not limited to, wear resistance, tensile strength, and corrosion resistance characteristics or mechanisms in various grades of steel.
Ferroalloys are particularly critical components for the progressive metallurgy industry of today, by designing or engineering carbon steel, alloy steel, and stainless steel. As an example, ferromanganese may exhibit strength and hardness, while ferrosilicon could provide magnetic properties or resistance to corrosion. Ferroalloys will be beneficial to the construction sector for improving the durability of structural steel.