Solidification Behavior of CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 Mold Fluxes Containing MgO and Low TiO2 Content Using Single Hot Thermocouple Technique (SHTT): Continuous‐Cooling‐Transformation (CCT) and Viscosity Analysis

The effect of MgO and low TiO2 content on the solidification of CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 based mold fluxes is investigated. The crystallization and viscosity behaviors are analyzed using single hot thermocouple technique (SHTT) and rotating viscometer, respectively. Continuous‐cooling‐transformation (CCT) results point to an increase of critical cooling rate (CCR) with increasing MgO content. Conversely, the presence of TiO2 seems to mitigate the effect of MgO on the crystallization due to the strong glass former characteristic of titanium dioxide. Viscosity measurements show an increase with increasing MgO content in slags containing TiO2. Break temperatures (Tbr) are compared to the onset crystallization temperatures from CCT experiments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results indicate the presence of melilite (Al2Ca2Mg0.5O7Si1.5) for all samples of mold flux containing both MgO and TiO2. The effect of the MgO and low TiO2 addition on the crystallization behavior and viscosity of the CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 mold flux is investigated by means of SHTT and rotating viscometer. Break temperatures (Tbr) are compared to the onset crystallization temperatures from CCT experiments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis are used to determine crystalline phases.