Solubility of Bismuth in Liquid Bi-S Based Free Cutting Steel

Abstract

Solubility of bismuth in liquid Bi-S based free cutting steel was measured using a vapor-liquid equilibration method at 1540–1600 °C, and the recovery rate of bismuth in the steel with different temperatures under an atmospheric pressure was also measured. The results showed that the solubility of bismuth in liquid Bi-S based free cutting steel from experiment under a constant volume at 1540, 1560, 1580, and 1600 °C were 0.174, 0.181, 0.205, and 0.220 mass%, respectively, and the relationship of bismuth solubility vs. temperature could be expressed as lg[%Bi] = −6049/T + 2.572. Meanwhile, the solubility of bismuth increased with the increase of Mn content, but decreased with the increase of C content. The recovery of bismuth in this experiment reached a maximum when the temperature was at bismuth boiling point or so, and then it was decreased with the increase of temperature when the temperature was above 1560 °C, which might be attributed to the accelerating of bismuth evaporation that were caused by the increase of bismuth equilibrium partial pressure above the surface of the molten steel with increasing temperature.

Keywords

• bismuth
• free cutting steel
• solubility
• recovery rate
• vapor-liquid equilibration