Vol 2016, No 7 (2016)

The thickening and rheological properties of ore slurries and pulps after autoclave sulfuric acid leaching are analyzed as a function of the phase composition of oxidized nickel ore. Experiments have been carried out with samples of ferrous, silicate and combined ores. The initial concentration of the ore slurries is ∼28%. Higher values of thickening properties (thickening rate of 1.3 m/day, thickened layer concentration of 54%) are exhibited by the ferrous ore slurry and the pulp after its leaching (thickening rate of 0.9 m/day, thickened layer concentration of 42%). The thickening rate of silicate ore slurry is 0.15–0.2 m/day, the thickened layer concentration is 40–45%. The thickening properties of the pulp after autoclave sulfuric acid leaching of silicate ore strongly depend on the consumption of sulfuric acid. The thickening properties of combined ore and pulps after its leaching deteriorate with increase in the content of silicon dioxide in the ore. In terms of the rheological properties, all slurries are pseudoplastic systems. Poorly thickening slurries are characterized by a high dynamic yield stress (up to 7 Pa) and apparent plastic and effective viscosities. The effective viscosity at the equivalent shear rate corresponding to the mixer rotation rate in laboratory autoclave reaches 34 × 10^–3 Pa s. Boundary values are determined in rheological constants with regard to the thickening properties. For instance, if the dynamic yield point is <1.0 Pa, the thickening rate increases from 0.2 to 1.3 m/day; if the yield point is >1.0 Pa, the thickening rate decreases from 0.075 m/day to zero. The thickening and rheological properties are found to depend on the particle size of solid phase and its surface properties.

A procedure is proposed for an analysis of the data on the decomposition of inorganic carbonates (MgCO₃, CaCO₃, SrCO₃, MnCO₃, CoCO₃) on the basis of results of thermogravimetric studies. The activation energy and the rate constant for carbonate decomposition are calculated taking into account the main points of the heterogeneous reaction kinetics. A comparative analysis of the obtained results is performed.

The possibility to use hot extraction (thermal extraction in a carrier-gas flow) for fractional analysis of nitrogen in carbon steels is shown for cord and reinforcing-bar steels. A rapid procedure is developed for an analysis of free nitrogen in carbon steels. The validity of the analytical procedure is confirmed by high-temperature hydrogen extraction. The data obtained by the two methods correlate well with each other. A sample preparation procedure is developed for the determination of the content of dissolved nitrogen.

The effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of a high-nitrogen austenitic 02Kh20AG10N4MFB steel has been studied in the temperature region 550—1200°C. The yield strength and the ultimate tensile strength are shown to change nonmonotonically as a function of the heat treatment temperature. They sharply decrease in the annealing temperature range 850—900°C, which can demonstrate a change in the character of the structure–phase state of this steel. After annealing at 850—900°C, aging occurs with the precipitation of embrittling phases; at higher annealing temperatures, these particles dissolve and austenite recrystallizes. The study of the stress–strain diagrams makes it possible to find the laws of strain hardening of the 02Kh20AG10N4MFB steel as a function of the heat treatment temperature.

The effect of cobalt on the oxidation resistance of (Nd_0.85Dy_0.15)_16.4(Fe_0.89Co_0.11)_74.4Ti_1.3B_7.9 and (Pr_0.56Dy_0.39Sm_0.05)_14.5(Fe_0.75Co_0.25)_78.8B_6.7 alloys has been studied. The storage of magnet blanks made from these alloy in air for 200 h does not affect the magnetic properties of the sintered magnets owing to the presence of the phases (Pr, Dy)(Fe, Co)₂, (Pr, Dy)(Fe, Co)₂B₂, (Pr, Dy)(Fe, Co)₄B, (Pr, Dy)(Fe, Co)₃B₂, and (Pr, Dy)(Fe, Co)₃, which are resistant to oxidation and ensure liquid-phase sintering of magnets. After 200-h exposure to air, oxidation of the blanks takes place, the rate of which decreases by more than two times at the expense of an increase in the cobalt content in the alloy.

A thermodynamic analysis of the oxygen solutions in chromium-containing Ni–Co melts at 1873 K has been performed. The equilibrium constants of reactions between chromium and oxygen, the activity coefficients at infinite dilution, and the interaction parameters for melts differing in composition have been determined. The dependences of the oxygen solubility on the cobalt and chromium contents in the melts are calculated. The deoxidizing capacity of chromium slightly decreases as the cobalt content in the melt increases. The composition dependences of the oxygen solubility in the chromium-containing Ni–Co melts have a minimum, which shifts to a high boron content as the cobalt content in the melts increases. The further increase in the chromium addition leads to an increase in the oxygen content in the melt.

The phase-transition temperatures of a high-strength cast AM5 aluminum alloy are determined at atmospheric pressure and an excess pressure of 100 MPa using differential barothermic analysis (DBA) and classical differential thermal analysis (DTA). An excess pressure of 100 MPa is shown to increase the critical temperatures of the alloy by 12–17°C (including an increase in the solidus temperature by 12°C), which makes it possible to increase the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) temperature above the temperature of heating for quenching. The following three barothermal treatment schedules at p = 100 MPa and τ = 3 h, which have different isothermal holding temperatures, are chosen to study the influence of HIP on the structure and the properties of alloy AM5 castings: HIP1 (t₁ = 505 ± 2°C), HIP2 (t₂ = 520 ± 2°C), and HIP3 (t₃ = 540 ± 2°C). High-temperature HIP treatment is found to increase the casting density and improve the morphology of secondary phases additionally, which ensures an increase in the plasticity of the alloy. In particular, the plasticity of the alloy after heat treatment according to schedule HIP3 + T6 (T6 means artificial aging to achieve the maximum strength) increases by a factor of ∼1.5.

Technological processes are developed to fabricate composite materials based on B83 babbit using hot pressing of a mixture of powders in the presence of a liquid phase. As a result, the structure of the matrix B83 alloy is dispersed, the morphology of intermetallic phases is changed, and reinforcing micro- and nanosized fillers are introduced and uniformly distributed in the matrix. The tribological properties of the synthesized materials are studied. The friction of the B83 babbit + 0.5 wt % MSR + 3 wt % SiC (MSR is modified schungite rock) composite material at high loads is characterized by an increase in the stability coefficient, and the wear resistance of the material increases by a factor of 1.8 as compared to the as-cast alloy at comparable friction coefficients.

The dissolution of manganese and zirconium in the aluminum melt in the presence of magnesium is theoretically and experimentally studied during the manufacture of a grade 01561 alloy (Al–Mg system). It is experimentally found that magnesium and zirconium dissolve completely in 30 min. The structure and the phase composition of the alloy samples taken during alloy manufacture are analyzed; they are found to have a dendritic structure; and the precipitation of magnesium, manganese, iron, and silicon compounds in the interdendritic space is detected.