Abstract
The surface tension of the molten stainless steels was measured under plasma conditions. The sessile drop method was adopted and a low pressure plasma was generated between the sample and the electrode above the sample. The measurement was carried out for several types of stainless steel, which contains different amounts of sulfur, 10ppm and 100ppm, at the temperature from 1773K to 1873K. No significant effect of the plasma on the surface tension of the molten stainless steel was observed. The sulfur content significantly affects the temperature coefficients of the surface tension, and the coefficient is negative for the low sulfur content and positive for the high sulfur content.
