Abstract: With the world's rapid advancement of technology, the demand and need for the materials that make up that technology has exploded. An important group of materials needed in this rapid advancement are the rare earth elements (REE) used in countless necessary applications. One source of rare earths found in the United States is bastnaesite, a rare earth bearing fluorocarbonate, mined at the Mountain Pass Mine in California. To increase production, it has been essential to optimize existing processes and create new ones to exploit current reserves. This research program was run to expand the understanding of the bastnaesite leaching system. A novel single stage hydrochloric leach system was created to optimize the rare earth extraction from bastnaesite. Typically, this process has utilized a two-stage leach system involving a high temperature hydrochloric acid leach followed by a caustic crack.

Abstract: A sintered component forming step is for forming a sintered component by powder molding. An insert forming step is for forming a sintered insert component in which an exterior component is integrated on an outer peripheral portion of the sintered component. One or more grooves or ridges are formed on an outer peripheral portion of a region except for one end portion of the sintered component in the sintered component forming step. The insert forming step includes a step for bringing the outer peripheral portion of the end portion into contact with an inner peripheral surface of an insert forming mold along a circumferential direction and covering the one or more grooves or ridges by the insert forming mold with an interval to form a cavity on an outer peripheral portion of the sintered component and a step for filling a melted material in the cavity.

Abstract: A non-annealed hot-rolled ferritic stainless steel sheet with excellent impact toughness includes, in percent (%) by weight of the entire composition, C: more than 0 and 0.03% or less, Si: 0.1 to 0.5%, Mn: 1.5% or less, P: 0.04% or less, Cr: 10.5 to 14%, Ni: more than 0 and 1.5% or less, Ti: 0.01 to 0.5%, Cu: more than 0 and 1.0% or less, N: more than 0 and 0.015% or less, Al: 0.1% or less, the remainder of iron (Fe) and other inevitable impurities, and satisfies the following equation (1), and the average grain size of the cross-sectional microstructure in the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction is 60 ?m or less. (1500?(1001.5*C+950.6*Mn+1350.5*Ni+395.6*Cu?0.7*Si?1.0*Ti?0.1*Cr?1.0*P?1.0*Al+1020.5*N)?2200).??(1).

Abstract: A method includes applying a material coating to a surface of a machine component, wherein the material coating is formed from a combination of a hardfacing material, aluminum-containing particles, and a braze material. The method also includes thermally treating the material coating at a temperature to generate an oxide layer comprising aluminum from the aluminum-containing particles, wherein the oxide layer is configured to reduce oxidation of the hardfacing material, and the braze material is configured to facilitate binding between the material coating and the surface of the machine component.

Abstract: A method includes, in a first furnace, melting 40% to 95% by mass of a solid-state direct reduced iron, and separating a molten pig iron having a carbon content of 2.0% to 5.0% by mass and a temperature of 1350 to 1550° C. and a slag having a basicity of 1.0 to 1.4. In a second furnace, a remainder of the solid-state direct reduced iron is melted together with the molten pig iron separated in the first furnace to form a molten material, and oxygen is blown onto the molten material to decarburize into a molten steel. The solid-state direct reduced iron includes 3.0% by mass or more of SiO2 and Al2O3 in total and 1.0% by mass or more of carbon. A ratio of a metallic iron to a total iron content contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron is 90% by mass or more.

Abstract: A method for producing a molten steel may provide: solid-state direct reduced iron containing 3.0% by mass or more of SiO2 and Al2O3 in total and 1.0% by mass or more of carbon, a ratio of a metallic iron to a total iron content contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron being 90% by mass or more, and an excess carbon content Cx to the carbon contained in the solid-state direct reduced iron being 0.2% by mass or more. Such methods may include: a slag separation including heating the solid-state direct reduced iron and melting it in an electric furnace without introducing oxygen to separate into a molten steel and a slag, and continuously discharging the slag, and a decarburization including blowing, in the electric furnace, a total amount of oxygen introduced into the electric furnace to the molten steel to decarburize the molten steel after the slag separation.

Abstract: A door beam of a motor vehicle includes a 7000 series aluminum alloy extruded material, the 7000 series aluminum alloy extruded material including Zn: 7.5 mass % to 9.0 mass %, Mg: 1.3 mass % to 2.0 mass %, Cu: 0.1 mass % to 0.7 mass %, Si: 0.15 mass % or less, Fe: 0.3 mass % or less, Ti: 0.005 mass % to 0.2 mass %, and at least one of Mn, Cr, and Zr: 0.1 mass % to 0.5 mass %, in which contents of Mn, Cr and Zr satisfy Mn: 0.3 mass % or less, Cr: 0.25 mass % or less, and Zr: 0.25 mass %, respectively, with the remainder being Al and impurities. A Fe-based crystallized product is contained, and an average Cu content of the Fe-based crystallized product is 5.0 mass % or less.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, in some aspects, are systems and methods for producing a material comprising iron through self-reduction of iron ore using bio-oil and/or other reducing agents (e.g., bio-based reducing agents), such as biocrude, ethanol, or other bio-based liquids or biologically sourced liquids. The bio-oil and/or other reducing agents can be mixed with the iron ore to form a furnace mixture, which can be heated, such that the components of the bio-oil and/or other reducing agents in the furnace mixture reduce the iron ore to form an iron product (e.g., a material that includes metallic iron). In some cases, the pre-formed furnace mixture allows for the reducing agents to interact with the iron more readily, thereby providing for quicker reaction rates, and thereby quicker reduction of iron ore, as compared to direct reduction iron production.

Abstract: A steel sheet of the present invention is a steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition and containing at least ferrite, residual austenite, and/or martensite in a microstructure, and furthermore, is a steel sheet in which, in a plane parallel to a rolled surface, an average distance between centers of high Mn regions adjacent to each other is 1.00 mm or less, a density DA of the high Mn regions at a sheet width center portion and a density DB of the high Mn regions at a ¼ position from a sheet width end portion satisfy a relationship of 0.77?DA/DB?1.30, a ratio of an average hardness of the high Mn regions to an average hardness of the low Mn regions is 1.1 to 2.0, and a difference between an average of a top 5% and an average of a bottom 5% of Mn contents in the low Mn regions is 0.3% or more.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the smelting of a metalliferous feedstock material. The process includes the steps of: (i) feeding an agglomerate comprising of a fine metalliferous feedstock material and a fine reductant to a reactor, the agglomerate forming a packed bed within the reactor; (ii) smelting the agglomerate by passing a hot reducing gas counter current through the packed bed to form a molten material comprising a partially reduced metalliferous constituent, an intermediate slag constituent and entrained unreacted reductant constituent; and (iii) channeling the molten material to flow into a vessel to form a metal product and a slag product.

Abstract: The application provides a method for controlling nitrogen in steelmaking by spraying hydrogen containing plasma, including: using a mixture of hydrogen rich gas and argon gas to generate hydrogen plasma for denitrification of molten steel during at least one of arc furnace smelting, ladle refining, VOD refining, and RH refining. The method for controlling nitrogen in steelmaking by spraying hydrogen containing plasma provided in the application can effectively remove nitrogen from the molten steel by spraying a mixture of argon gas and hydrogen rich gas into the molten steel through a hollow electrode and plasma torch, reducing electrode consumption and electricity consumption per ton steel, and also reducing arc radiation heat loss, improving heating rate, thereby shortening smelting time and reducing production costs.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are directed to metal-based materials, their manufacture and their use. Certain embodiments involve providing powder in a metal-based foil/shell, and forming a tube from the foil/shell with the powder therein. The tube thus has a metal-based foil shell filled with the powder. Metal wire may be formed by rolling the tube filled with the powder and reducing the diameter of the tube. Certain embodiments are directed to the structure of such a tube prior to wire formation, and other embodiments are directed to the metal wire itself.

Abstract: A method of making non-grain oriented (NGO) electrical steel is disclosed. The method includes tapping liquid steel out of a primary steelmaking furnace, deoxidizing the liquid steel before or after transferring the deoxidized liquid steel to a ladle metallurgy furnace, removing sulfur at the ladle metallurgy furnace (LMF), adding fluxes and deoxidizer to the ladle slag and/or skimming off ladle slag to prevent sulfur reversion, transferring the deoxidized liquid steel from the ladle metallurgy furnace to an RH degasser for carbon removal by blowing oxygen, and adding fluxes at the RH degasser before oxygen blowing to fortify the bottom layer of the ladle slag to prevent sulfur reversion. The removal of oxygen and sulfur prior to transferring the liquid steel to the RH degasser facilitates nitrogen removal and prevents carbon pick up during the step of adding fluxes and arcing for sulfur removal. Oxygen blowing at the RH also lowers titanium pickup.

Abstract: Using an apparatus for manufacturing a thin steel sheet including the followings which are arranged in order: a continuous casting machine (1) for a thin slab having a slab thickness of 70 mm to 120 mm at a lower end of a mold; a holding furnace (2) that is configured to maintain a temperature of a cast slab (10) and/or heats the cast slab (10); and a rolling stand (3) by which finish rolling is performed, the casting speed of the thin slab is set to 4 to 7 m/min, the slab (10) is reduced at a rolling reduction of 30% or more by the reduction roll (4) after solidification is completed and when a center temperature of the slab is 1300° C. or higher, and the slab (10) is held at a temperature of 1150° C. or higher and 1300° C. or lower for five minutes or longer in the holding furnace (2).

Abstract: A process is disclosed for the recovery of valuable metals from oxidic ores, in particular from polymetallic nodules. The process is suitable for the recovery of Cu, Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn, which are the main metals of interest in such polymetallic nodules. The present process is, among others, characterized by the handling of Fe, which is dissolved and kept in solution until the step of crystallization rather than removed at an earlier stage. A mixed Mn—Fe residue is obtained, which, after thermal treatment, provides a Mn—Fe oxide that is suitable for the steel or for the manganese industry. Excellent Cu, Co and Ni yields are obtained, while Fe is leached and valorized together with Mn.

Abstract: Disclosed is a high-yield-ratio cold-rolled dual-phase steel, having the following chemical elements in percentage by mass: 0.05%-0.08% of C, 0.9%-1.2% of Mn, 0.1%-0.6% of Si, 0.030%-0.060% of Nb, 0.030%-0.060% of Ti, 0.015%-0.045% of Al, and the balance being Fe and other inevitable impurities. A manufacturing method for the high-yield-ratio cold-rolled dual-phase steel, comprising: (1) smelting and casting; (2) hot rolling, wherein a casting blank is controlled and soaked at a temperature of 1200° C.-1250° C.; rolled with the finish rolling temperature being 840° C.-930° C.; cooled at a speed of 20° C./s-70° C./s, and then wound at the winding temperature being 570° C.-630° C.; (3) cold rolling; (4) annealing at the soaking temperature being 750° C.-790° C. for 40 s-200 s, cooling at a speed of 30° C./s-80° C./s, the start temperature of cooling is 650° C. to 730° C., the aging temperature is 200° C. to 260° C., and the overaging time is 100 s to 400 s; and (5) leveling.

Abstract: A method for producing direct reduced metal material includes charging metal material into a first furnace space of a first furnace; evacuating an atmosphere from the first furnace space to achieve an underpressure inside the first furnace space; providing heat and first hydrogen gas without recirculation to the first furnace space, so that heated first hydrogen gas heats the charged metal material so that metal oxides present in the metal material are reduced, causing water vapor to be formed; and condensing and collecting the water vapor in a condenser. A subsequently performed charged material cooling step is carried out in which thermal energy from the charged material is absorbed by the first hydrogen gas, and in which thermal energy, by heat exchange, is transferred from the first hydrogen gas to second hydrogen gas to be used in a second furnace for producing direct reduced metal material.

Abstract: A method of direct reduction of metal oxides that includes catalytic reforming of hydrocarbonaceous gas in a reformer to obtain reformer gas, obtaining at least one precursor gas based on the reformer gas, preparing a reduction gas by heating the at least one precursor gas by means of electrical energy, at least a portion of the electrical energy being introduced by means of plasma.

Abstract: A dilute copper metal composition includes 57-85% wt Cu, ?3.0% wt Ni, ?0.8% wt Fe, 7-25% wt Sn and 3-15% wt Pb. A process includes the steps of partially oxidizing a black copper composition to obtain a first copper refining slag and a first enriched copper metal, partially oxidizing the first enriched copper metal to obtain a second copper refining slag, whereby at least 37.0% wt of the amount of tin and lead processed is retrieved in the first and second copper refining slags together; and partially reducing the first copper refining slag to form a first lead-tin based metal composition and a first spent slag. The process further includes the steps of adding the second copper refining slag to the first lead-tin based metal composition, thereby forming a first liquid bath; and partially oxidizing the first liquid bath, thereby obtaining the dilute copper metal composition.

Abstract: A high-strength member having excellent delayed fracture resistance, a method for manufacturing the high-strength member, and a method for manufacturing a steel sheet for the high-strength member. The high-strength member has a bent ridge portion obtained by using a steel sheet having a tensile strength of 1470 MPa or more, an edge surface of the bent ridge portion has a residual stress of 800 MPa or less, and a longest crack among cracks that extend from the edge surface of the bent ridge portion in a bent ridge direction D1 has a length of 10 ?m or less.