The role of rare earth in structural steel and its research progress

The atomic radius of Rare Earth is generally between 0.1821 and 0.2042 nm, while the atomic radius of iron is 0.1241 nm. The difference between the two is large, so the solid solubility of rare earth in steel is generally very low. A large number of studies have shown that the addition of trace rare earth elements can significantly improve the plasticity, toughness, wear resistance, heat resistance, corrosion resistance and many other properties of steel.

At present, the influence mechanism of rare earth elements on steel performance can be summarized into three aspects: first, through strong chemical activity, it generates compounds with harmful elements such as O and S, which plays a role in purifying molten steel; second, it refines the solidification structure of steel, changes the properties, morphology and distribution of inclusions, and plays a role in modifying inclusions; third, rare earth elements are trace-dissolved in steel, and play a strong micro-alloying role through solid solution strengthening, grain boundary segregation, etc.

However, excessive rare earth addition will lead to coarsening of inclusions, causing performance degradation, and showing a clear "threshold effect". The current technical bottlenecks are concentrated on the low efficiency of traditional addition processes, the need for precise control of rare earth addition, and the unclear control mechanism of low-temperature ductile-brittle transition. In the future, breakthroughs will be made in developing intelligent and precise addition technology, combining advanced characterization and computational simulation to analyze microscopic mechanisms, and promoting the application of rare earth microalloying technology in structural steel to provide key material support for high-end manufacturing.

Suzhou KP Chemical Co., Ltd can provide some rare earth metals and other non-ferrous metals are used to add to structural steel such as Lanthanum metal, Cerium metal, Yttrium metal, Titanium sponge and Zirconium sponge. Please contact info@szwww.kpchemmaterial.com or 086-18915544907.