• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1855-1862
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• 2023

Graphite crucibles are used for melting uranium and its alloys in VIM furnace. Various coating materials namely Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, MgO etc. are applied on the inner surface of the crucibles using paint brush or thermal spray technique to mitigate U-C interaction. These leads to significant amount of carbon pick-up in uranium. In this study, the attempts are made to develop multilayer coatings comprising of SiC/Y₂O₃ and Mo/Y₂O₃ on graphite to study the feasibility of minimizing U-C interaction. The parameters are optimized to prepare SiC coating of about 70㎛ thickness using CVD technique on graphite coupons and subsequently Y₂O₃ coating of about 250㎛ thickness using plasma spray technique. Molybdenum and Y₂O₃ layers were deposited using plasma spray technique with 70㎛ and 250㎛ thickness, respectively. Interaction studies of the coated graphite with molten uranium at 1450℃ for 20 min revealed that Y₂O₃ coating with SiC interlayer provides physical barrier for uranium-graphite interaction, however, this led to the physical separation of coating layer. Y₂O₃ coating with Mo interlayer provided superior barrier effect showing no degradation and the coatings remained intact after interaction tests. Therefore, the Mo/Y₂O₃ coating was found to be a promising solution for minimizing carbon pick-up during uranium/uranium alloy melting.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.90-94
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• 2012

This study has been focused on properties of mirror surface grinding technology by ELID(Electrolytic In-process Dressing) for metal matrix ceramic composites using in high precision mirror for optics. The experimental studies have been carried out to get mirror surface by grinding for composites, Al-SiC, Al-graphite and Mg-SiC. Grinding process is carried out with varying abrasive mesh type, depth of cut and feed rate using diamond wheel. The machining result of the surface roughness and condition of ground surface, have been analyzed by use of surface roughness tester and SEM measurement system. ELID grinding technology could be applied successfully for the mirror-surface manufacturing processes in spite of ductility of metal matrix material. As the results of experiments, surface roughness of Al-SiC(45 wt%) has been the most superior in these experimental work-pieces as 0.021 ${\mu}m$ Ra.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.546-557
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• 1995

This study was undertaken to obtain an improved understanding of the effects of alloying elements on the residual amounts of Mg in the melt and on the resultant microstructure of compacted vermicular graphite cast irons, and the influence of alloying elements and cooling rates during solidification on the formation of phosphide eutectics, and on the mechanical properties of compacted vermicular graphite cast irons containing copper, tin, molybdenum for producing pearlitic matrix, and also containing phosphorus and boron for increasing wear resistance were evaluated.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.277-283
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• 1986

The effects of copper as an alloying element on the microstructure of Compacted Vermicular graphite cast iron which was treated with Mg-REM spheroidizer have been studied. With the increase of copper content up to 2.0wt.%, the following results were obtained; First, the ratio of residual magnesium content in the as-cast iron has been found to be increased, possibly due to the decrease of sulfur content in the melt. Thus, the morphology of graphite in the as-cast iron has been found to be more nodular type. Second, the proportion of pearlite in the matrix has been found to he increased, however the matrix being with free carbide precipitates in the copper range of 1.2wt.% to 2.0wt.%. Third, the tensile strength of the as-cast iron in the temperature up to $400^{\circ}C$ was increased.

• Carbon letters
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.34-37
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• 2010

In this work, graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were prepared by ammonia and heat treatment at temperatures up to $1000^{\circ}C$ to improve its $CO_2$ adsorption capacity. The effects of the heat treatment on the textural properties and surface chemistry of the GNFs were investigated by $N_2$ adsorption isotherms, XRD, and elemental analysis. We found that the chemical properties of GNFs were significantly changed after the ammonia treatment. Mainly amine groups were formed on the GNF surfaces such as lactam groups, pyrrole and pyridines. The GNFs treated at $500^{\circ}C$ showed highest $CO_2$ adsorption capacity of 26.9 mg/g at 273 K in this system.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.389-395
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• 1989

The effects of phosphorus and boron additions and isothermal holding time on the residual magnesium and sulfur content, and on the resultant graphite structure of cast irons were investigated. The effective recovery ratio of magnesium showed that adding phosphorus to the melt retarded the fading rate of magnesium but adding boron accelerated it. However, the residual sulfur content was found to be decreased with isothermal holding time at the begining, and then to be increased again with holding time by resulfurization. The Mg-Equivalent for producing compacted vermicular graphite structure was found to be increased with the addition of phosphorus, whereas to be decreased with the addition of boron.

• Carbon letters
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• v.19
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• pp.99-103
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• 2016

Porous carbons have attracted much attention for their novel application in gas storage. In this study, porous graphite nano-fiber (PGNFs)-based graphite nano fibers (GNFs) were prepared by KOH activation to act as adsorbents. The GNFs were activated with KOH by changing the GNF/KOH weight ratio from 0 through 5 at 900℃. The effects of the GNF/KOH weight ratios on the pore structures were also addressed with scanning electron microscope and N₂ adsorption/desorption measurements. We found that the activated GNFs exhibited a gradual increase of CO₂ adsorption capacity at CK-3 and then decreased to CK-5, as determined by CO₂ adsorption isotherms. CK-3 had the narrowest micropore size distribution (0.6–0.78 nm) among the treated GNFs. Therefore, KOH activation was not only a significant method for developing a suitable pore-size distribution for gas adsorption, but also increased CO₂ adsorption capacity as well. The study indicated that the sample prepared with a weight ratio of ‘3’ showed the best CO₂ adsorption capacity (70.8 mg/g) as determined by CO₂ adsorption isotherms at 298 K and 1 bar.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.53-60
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• 2021

In EAF steelmaking industries, MgO content in slag increases due to the addition of dolomite flux to protect refractory lines of furnaces and improve the desulfurization capability of slag. In addition, coal powder is injected in the molten steel bath to increase the energy efficiency of the process. In this regard, the utilization of waste MgO-C refractory material as a flux was examined because it has high amounts of MgO (>70%) and graphite carbon (>10%). A series of experiments were carried out using industrial EAF slag with added light burnt dolomite and waste MgO refractory material from a Korean steel company. The results for the addition of the two fluxes were similar in terms of slag basicity; therefore, it is expected that waste MgO-C refractory material can successfully replace dolomite flux. In addition, when the waste MgO-C refractory material was added as flux, slag foaming phenomenon was demonstrated because of the reaction between the graphite from the refractory material and iron oxides in the slag.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2019

MgO-C refractories are used in basic furnaces and steel ladles due to their many desirable properties, such as excellent thermal shock resistance via low thermal expansion, and high thermal conductivity. However, the mechanical and thermal properties of the refractory continuously deteriorate by spalling phenomena and pore generation due to the oxidation of graphite, used as a carbon source, indicating that the characteristics and performance of MgO-C refractories need to be improved by using a new material or composition. In this study, the use of a Hertzian indentation test as a method for determining the damage and fracture behavior of an MgO-C refractory is described. The results highlight that Hertzain indentation tests can be one of the important evaluation tools for quasi-plastic damage accumulation of MgO-C refractories during falling process of scrap metal.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.114-119
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• 2015

This paper reports the effect of a refractory crucible type on the microstructure of duplex stainless steel (DSS) cast with the addition of gadolinium using air-induction melting. Grade 4A DSSs with 1 wt% of gadolinium (Gd) were fabricated in various crucibles including alumina ($Al_2O_3$), magnesia (MgO), calcia (CaO) coated with yttria ($Y_2O_3$) and graphite. The standard free energies of the formation of calcium and yttrium oxide were lower than those of gadolinium oxide and other crucible elements based oxide. The yield of Gd in DSS using $Al_2O_3$, MgO, CaO-coated $Y_2O_3$ and graphite was 5, 19, 83 and 96%, respectively. As Gd yield increased, the amount of Gd-based inclusions increased, the size of the inclusions were reduced, and the inclusions became evenly distributed.