The effect of vanadium microaddition on the strength of low-carbon cast steel containing 0.19% C used, among others, for castings of slag ladles was discussed. The tested cast steel was melted under laboratory conditions in a 30 kg capacity induction furnace. Mechanical tests were carried out at 700, 800 and 900°C using an Instron 5566 machine equipped with a heating oven of  2C stability. Non-standard 8- fold samples with a measuring length of 26 mm and a diameter of 3 mm were used for the tests. It has been shown that, compared to cast steel without vanadium microaddition, the introduction of vanadium in an amount of 0.12% to unalloyed, low carbon cast steel had a beneficial effect on the microstructure and properties of this steel not only at ambient temperature but also at elevated temperatures when it promoted an increase in UTS and YS. The highest strength values were obtained in the tested cast steel at 700C with UTS and YS reaching the values of 193 MPa and 187.7 MPa, respectively, against 125 MPa and 82.8 MPa, respectively, obtained without the addition of vanadium. It was also found that with increasing test temperature, the values of UTS and YS were decreasing. The lowest values of UTS and YS obtained at 900°C were 72 MPa and 59.5 MPa, respectively, against 69 MPa and 32.5 MPa, respectively, obtained without the addition of vanadium.

The morphology of G20Mn5 specimens made of non-modified and rare earth metals (REM) modified cast steel was investigated. Molten metal was treated with a cerium-rich mischmetal contain 49.8% Ce, 21.8% La, 17.1% Nd, 5.5% Pr and 5.35% other rare earth metals making up the balance. The melting, quenching (920°C/water) and tempering (720°C/air) were performed under industrial conditions. Analysis included G20Mn5 cast steel fracture specimens subjected to Charpy V-notch impact testing at 20°C, -30°C and -40°C. The purpose of the analysis was to determine the influence of REM on the microstructure and mechanical properties of G20Mn5 cast steel and the REM effect on the morphology, impact strength and character of the fracture surfaces. In addition, a description of the mechanism by which fracture occurred in the two materials was proposed. The author demonstrated the beneficial effects of adding REM to molten steel, manifested by a 20 - 40% increase in impact toughness, depending on test temperature, as compared to the non-modified cast steel. Important findings included more than 100% increase in impact strength in comparison with the required impact toughness of 27J at -40C for heat treated steels (EN 10213).

The analysis of after reclamation dusts generated during the reclamation treatment of test portions of two kinds of polydispersive material in the Regmas device, is presented in the hereby paper. For the comparative purpose the fresh moulding sand marked as quartz sand „Sibelco” –1K 0.40/0.32/0.20, J88, >14000C, WK = 1.20 (acc. PN-83/H-11077), as well as the spent moulding sand, which was previously subjected to the primary reclamation and to dedusting, were used. Conditions of the process treatment were forced by the frequency of supplying the vibratory drive motors being successively 40, 50 and 60Hz for 5, 10 and 15 min. and by causing a diversified material flow through the functional system of the device (charging hopper, abrasive chamber acting as a buffer space). Two states of the process treatment, when a material was flowing through the chamber, were applied. In the first one, an intergranular surface abrasion of grains occurred as a result of the granular material circulation in the chamber forced by the vibratory drive. In the second one, the forced material flow was performed in the presence of crushing elements (steel balls), additionally introduced into the abrasive chamber. Analyses of the device influence were performed by determinations of the amount of dusts separated in the pneumatic classifier and analysis of their grain sizes by means of Analysette 22NanoTec.

This article presents a study of the crystallization and microstructure of the AlSi9 alloy (EN AC-AlSi9) used for the alfin processing of iron ring supports in castings of silumin pistons. Alfin processing in brief is based on submerging an iron casting in an Al-Si bath, maintaining it there for a defined time period, placing it in a chill mould casting machine and immersing it in the alloy. This technology is used for iron ring supports in the pistons of internal combustion engines, among others. Thermal analysis shows that when the AlSi9 alloy contains a minimal content of iron, nucleation and increase in the triple (Al)+Fe+(Si) eutectic containing the -Al8Fe2Si phase takes place at the end of the crystallization of the double (Al)+(Si) eutectic. Due to the morphology of the ”Chinese script” the -Al8Fe2Si phase is beneficial and does not reduce the alloy’s brittleness. After approx. 5 hours of alfin processing, the -Al5FeSi phase crystallizes as a component of the +Al5FeSi+(Si) eutectic. Its disadvantageous morphology is ”platelike” with sharp corners, and in a microsection of the surface, ”needles” with pointed corners are visible, with increases the fragility of the AlSi9 alloys.

The usage of the reduced pressure in the processes of smelting and refining of metal alloys allow to remove not only the gases dissolved in the metal bath, but also the impurities having a higher vapour pressure than the matrix metal. Blister copper produced in flash furnace contains many impurities such as lead, bismuth and arsenic. Some of them must be removed from molten metals, because of their deleterious effects on copper electrical properties. When the smelting process is carried out in the induction vacuum furnaces, the abovementioned phenomenon is being intensified, one or another mixing of bath and increase in the surface area of mass exchange (liquid metal surface). The latter results from the formation of a meniscus being an effect of the electromagnetic field influence on the liquid metal. In the work, the results of refining blister copper in terms of removing lead from it, are presented. The experiments were carried out in the induction crucible vacuum furnace at temperatures of 1473 and 1523 K, and operating pressures in a range of 8 - 533 Pa.