Composition evolution and coalescence behavior of titanium oxide particles in Iron-Nickel binary alloy melt

Particle coalescence refers to the dispersed particles in a suspension sticking to each other through the random collisions. This phenomenon is of vital importance for the process control and mechanical property of the metallic materials, such as Iron-Nickel binary alloy. The present work performed a fundamental study of the composition evolution and coalescence behavior of the Ti-oxide particles in the liquid Iron-Nickel binary alloy. The effect of the titanium addition amount on the composition of the inclusion particles is investigated through the Ti deoxidation experiments. The particle features are characterized by using a potentiostatic electrolytic extraction method. It shows that when the amount of the Ti addition arrives at a certain degree, the state of the oxide particles changes from the liquid to the solid. Meanwhile, the formation of the cluster can occur. The coalescence efficiency and attraction forces of the particles are calculated theoretically. It is found that the coalescence degree of the solid TiOx (x=1.5-1.67) particle is close to that of the Al2O3 particle. The initial sintering behavior of the particles after coalescence-collision is analyzed by measuring the sintered neck radius. The apparent self-diffusion of the TiOx (x=1.5-1.67) particle is approximately 1.7 times larger than that of the Al2O3 particle.