Electroslag remelting of TITANIUM under VACUUM conditions

The results of experimental studies of the process of electroslag remelting of titanium in a chamber furnace at different values of pressure in the melting space, from vacuum to excess pressure, are given. Experiments were carried out during the melting of ingots with a diameter of 85 and 105 mm from titanium alloys VT1-0 and VT22 using fluoride-chloride flux AN-T4. The pressure of the inert gas in the furnace chamber was varied from 20 to 300 kPa. It is shown that in the entire studied range of pressures, the electroslag process proceeded stably with the formation of ingots with a high-quality side surface and a dense structure, without pores, slag inclusions and other internal defects. Experimental data on the effect of pressure in the melting space on the gas composition and structure of titanium ingots are given. The possibility of reducing the hydrogen content in titanium alloys by carrying out the electroslag process in vacuum conditions is shown. It was also established that the VT1-0 titanium ingot, melted under vacuum conditions, is characterized by a larger grain size compared to the ingot obtained under excess pressure.