Steel industry requirements with regard to mechanical properties are each day more demanding, so as to be in line with cost improvement and energy consumption as well as environmental regulations that are becoming more and more restrictive
Among the most damaging elements regarding steel features such as resistance, impact, forging capacity and, mainly, fatigue life, are the presence and distribution of steel inclusions. Over the years, we have been working hard on developing steels that are each time cleaner and, to the extent possible, inclusion-free, both in refining and casting processes. In order to assess the development of our clean steel manufacturing processes as well as steel itself, we need to have volumetric techniques which provide us with more information than the traditional microscope or “blue split” tests that have been used throughout history.
In this context, Sidenor has traditionally opted for the method of immersion ultrasounds by means of a frequency of 10 MHz, according to SEP 1921 international standards and the own requirements of its customers, in order to perform routine assessments of volumes of various cubic dm as well as to locate middle-sized inclusions and their distribution in steel. As part of this immersion ultrasound technology, Sidenor has recently acquired a new state-of-the-art device with modern electronics and analysis software, up to 10 channels and up to 20 cycles, which reaches pulse repetition frequencies of up to 20,000 Hz and testing frequencies of up to 30 MHz for performing tests according to the most demanding standards as well as detecting micro-inclusions at micron level.