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Electroslag pressure remelting facility
Pressure nitriding is the magic formula for a new generation of high-performance steels. The technology for achieving the excellent property characteristics of these steels was developed by Energietechnik in close cooperation with the Krupp Research Institute, universities, and other scientific institutions as well as interested users, and taken to the point of readiness for production within just a few years.
The development of the electroslag pressure remelting facility was financially supported by the federal and state governments and culminated in the commissioning of a 20-tonne production plant at the Essen facility on 28 June 1989.
The plant provides for the technical bulk production of massively nitrided ingots. It secures a predominant technical lead for Energietechnik Essen GmbH in the manufacturing of highly nitrogen-alloyed steels.
Austenitic Cr-Mn-alloyed steels with approximately 0.6% N, that are molten under atmospheric pressure, are known and have become generally accepted worldwide for use as retaining ring material with the Krupp designation P 900.
Higher nitrogen contents of approx. 1% can only be reached with increased pressure. In our electroslag pressure remelting facility, a maximum pressure of 42 bar can be built up. Via sluices, alloy elements can be added continuously in the electroslag pressure remelting facility. The interstitial integration of the nitrogen into the grid structure of the steel explicitly increases the strength and corrosion resistance of the material without any reduction in ductility. On the one hand, the facility pressure increases the solubility of the melt for certain specific alloy elements and, on the other hand, prevents the degassing of volatile alloy elements during solidification. This combination of properties is not achieved by any other group of materials.
The extensive replacement of carbon by nitrogen opens up a large number of operational uses for steels produced by means of the electroslag pressure remelting process. The power station industry and anti-friction bearing manufacturers already use with great success pressure-nitrided steels for power technology applications. In the aircraft industry (aircraft engines), chemical and petrochemical industries, as well as the construction industry, there is scope for further applications. The latest development in electrical engineering is provided by nickel-free materials with a high nitrogen content, that are suitable for bio-compatible applications and comply with all European standards and procedures. The pressure-nitrided martensitic steel CRONIDUR 30, developed for highly loaded components in aerospace applications, was awarded the Steel Innovation Prize for 1991.
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