RECENT DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC ARC FURNACES FOR STEEL MELTING

Abstract

The author put together the researches on recent development of operation and construction of electric arc furnace for steel smelting.
The steel production by an electric furnace in 1953 in Japan was about 1, 300, 000 tons and was only about 60% of the maximum production during the war. In the United States about 8, 160, 000 tons was produced, which was about 5 times of the production in 1940, and the production is still increasing now.<Br>The production increase in the United States was due to the adoption of radid smelting process by bulky high-voltage electric power and also the reduction of production cost by using large capacity electric furnaces. Thus electric furnace process can compete with open hearth process and was used not only for alloy steel smelting but also for carbon steel smelting very widely. The production of rapid process smelting furnace was recently made possible here in Japan because of the technical cooperation with Pittsburgh Lectromelt Furnace Corporation. These furnaces were already installed at several plants and obtained very good result. The author explained the technical progress of production method of electrode for electric furnaces and transition of refractories. He also made an research on the progress of operation method, especially on oxygen smelting process, electric power and heavy oil combined process and induction stirring process. Lastly he made study on economical problems of electric furnaces based on expenses incurred for various production unit.