Inclusion assessment

Inclusion counts are performed to assess their shape, quantity and distribution to assess about the cleanliness of steel.

The routine plant procedure employes the microscopic method. From the shape of the inclusion and knowledge of the steelmaking process in a plant, it is inferred to whether it is silica/ silicate, aluminate or sulphide inclusion

Electron probe micro analyzer enables to determine the chemical composition of individual inclusions.

The energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) attachment for SEM allows quantitative chemical analysis of inclusion as well as quantitative mapping of distribution of various elements in and around the inclusions.

Quantimet has an optical microscope fitted with video screen and associated microprocessor-based instrumentation. It can scan the specimen very quickly and provide a variety of information such as inclusion size, distribution, number, volume fraction, etc.

Total oxide inclusion content of steel can be determined from the analysis of oxygen by sampling and the use of vacuum /inert gas fusion apparatus.

Radioactive tracers can identify the origin of inclusion distributions, etc.

The readers can see the references given at the end of lecture 29 for the details