Deoxidation of steel with carbon under reduced pressure is often used for increasing the steel purity. Suitable units for this purpose in

foundries are vacuum induction furnaces. Possibilities of increasing the steel purity by deoxidation with carbon in the vacuum induction

furnace were studied for the steel for the petrochemistry of specific composition 25Cr/35Ni. The charge composed of the return material

only was melted in the air. During melting the charge oxidized and the oxidizing slag formed. Chemical composition of steel, morphology,

chemical composition of inclusions in the steel and chemical composition of slag after vacuuming were studied on the basis of samples

taken before and after vacuuming. Temperature and oxygen activity were measured before and after vacuuming. Globular inclusions with

dominant content of silicon and manganese were observed in steel before and after vacuuming. Contents of total oxygen in steel didn’t

change significantly during vacuuming. On the basis of composition of inclusions and measured oxygen activity the activity of Cr2O3

in

inclusions was calculated. A slag sample was taken after vacuuming and equilibrium oxygen activity in steel with regard to the Cr2O3

content in the slag was estimated from the slag composition. Equilibrium oxygen activity in relation to the Cr2O3 content in the slag was

higher than equilibrium activity measured in the steel. For this reason it is not possible, under the studied conditions, to decrease oxygen

content in steel during vacuuming.

Determination of the ferrite content in austenitic steels, which solidified under defined conditions. Ferrite content in austenitic matrix was determined from samples with wall thickness of 60 mm. Measured ferrite contents served to propose the regression equations for the calculation of the ferrite content in steels with Cr content of 18 up to 22 % and Ni of 9 up to 11 %. An additional regression equation was proposed for steels with a higher Ni content. The proposed regression equations have been checked up on the operating melts. In conclusion, the ferrite content in the axis of the casting of wall thickness of 500 mm has been calculated and it was compared to the ferrite determined in the usual way from the cast-on test.

Heavy steel castings deoxidized with aluminium are sometimes brittle intercrystalline failed during their service along primary grain boundaries what is initiated by aluminium nitrides and so called conchoidal fractures are formed. The tendency to forming the conchoidal fractures depends in particular on cooling rate (the casting modulus), aluminium and nitrogen contents in steel. During deoxidation, when manufacturing heavy castings, the elements with high affinity to nitrogen, zirconium or titanium, are added to steel that would decrease nitrogen activity by the bond on stable nitrides. The formation of stable nitrides should reduce the tendency of steel to the formation of conchoidal fractures. Deoxidation was thermodynamically analyzed at presence of the mentioned elements. For particular conditions a probable course of deoxidation was estimated at test castings. The deoxidation course was checked by microanalysis of deoxidation products (inclusions). For service and experimental castings the anticipated composition of inclusions was compared. It has been proved that in heavy castings with high aluminium contents in steel under studied conditions neither the addition of zirconium nor of titanium nor of rare earth metals will prevent the formation of conchoidal fractures.