To figure out the reason causing ladle nozzle clogging during CC (continuous casting) of a non-oriented electrical steel with high silicon (or HNO for short) and get a method to address it, this paper studied the theoretical calculation of flow rates during CC, the inclusions around the slide gate where ladle nozzle clogging happened, and Ca-treatment at the end of RH for decreasing ladle clogging of the electrical steel both theoretically and practically. The results showed that: The bigger diameter of a nozzle or less nozzle clogging can guarantee an enough flow rate for reaching the target casting speed. Ladle nozzle clogging can be predicted by comparing the percentage of slide gate opening. Al2O3 and its composite inclusions were the main reason that caused the ladle nozzle clogging of the electrical steel. Higher [Al] or TO will increase the amount of Pure Ca wires for Ca-treatment. The results of the verification tests fit the thermodynamic calculation, and Ca-treatment using pure Ca wires could prevent ladle nozzles from clogging without affecting the magnetic properties of the electrical steel.

Nozzle clogging seriously affects the continuity of spraying powder in vacuum induction melting gas atomization (VIGA) process and increases the consumption of gas and raw materials. However, there are few systematic studies on nozzle clogging. This paper reports the physics of nozzle clogging in gas atomization production. The influence of coupling-length of different melt delivery-tubes on nozzle clogging is studied numerically and experimentally. The interface tracking method of Volume of Fluid (VOF) and the large eddy simulation (LES) model are performed for visualizing the melt droplets flow traces in primary atomization and the associated simulation cloud images compared with experimental results. Four delivery-tube coupling-lengths (0 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm) relative to nozzle position and two gas pressures (3 MPa and 4.5 MPa) are chosen for this study. The results indicated that the coupling-lengths of 0 mm and 3 mm increases the strength of the recirculation zone, the melt droplets backflow is obvious, and the nozzle is blocked. However, this phenomenon eliminated with increasing coupling-lengths, the atomization process is continuous, but the final fine powder yield decreases. This research is of guiding significance and reference for understanding the nozzle clogging of vacuum induction melting gas atomization (VIGA) technology.

Pervious concrete is a unique and effective material used to tackle important environmental problems, to maintain green, sustainable growth, and to reduce storm water runoff and pollutants. Clogging of pervious concrete is an important potential issue in serviceability, considered one of the primary limitations of pervious concrete systems. The sediment deposition pattern of pervious concrete was determined using three clogging materials: clay, sand, and clayey silty sand. The clogged specimens were cleaned by pressure washing, vacuuming, and a combined method. In total, ten clogging and cleaning cycles were carried out on each sample to evaluate the draining capacity of the pervious concrete. The clogging test was assessed by measuring the infiltration rate during clogging and after cleaning, for each cycle. The experiment results showed that a reduction in permeability due to different types of sedimentation material as well as recovery in permeability was achieved after applying various cleaning methods.

Morphometric attributes of 705 stromatoporoid specimens from a number of exposures from the Silurian of Podolia (Ukraine) and the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland), representing a wide array of shallow water carbonate sedimentary environments, have been analysed. Taken into account were such parameters as: general shape of the skeleton, shape of the final growth form (living surface profile), upper surface character, latilaminae arrangement, burial ratio and type of initial surface. A number of new ratios has been introduced, designed mainly to improve the mapping of the outlines of the stromatoporoids upper surfaces. All studied specimens were treated as belonging to one group, and relations between particular attributes were tested. The results were analysed in terms of potential environmental factors influencing stromatoporoid morphometric features. Most of the distinguished attributes are common in the studied group and occur in various combinations, with an important exception of parameters designed to reflect the shape of the skeleton’s upper surface, which are distinctly predominated by convex variants. This indicates that surface concavity was a highly undesired feature among stromatoporoids. Upper surface convexity is interpreted herein as a response to the hazard of clogging of the animals pores by tiny sediment particles suspended in the bottom turbid water layer. Common low burial ratios of final living surface profiles and the occurrence of specimens with a smooth upper surface but a non-enveloping latilaminae arrangement are other reflections of this phenomenon. Burial by sediments and redeposition were also important factors governing stromatoporoid development. No direct arguments indicating photosensitivity of stromatoporoids can be deduced from the presented results. The hitherto postulated allometric tendency among stromatoporoids of starting growth as laminar forms and later adopting consecutively higher profile shapes has not been confirmed here. On the contrary, a tendency for gradual elimination of very high profile forms with increasing stromatoporoid size has been observed. The final shape of a stromatoporoid skeleton was always an effect of a combination of various agents.