Increasing wear resistance of stoppers for 140-ton steel-casting ladles

Conclusions Among the principal reasons for partial or substantial leaking of the metal stream are the following: burning away of the stopper, breaking off of the spherical part of the head, wear and tear of the head and sleeve bricks and opening up of the seams through deformation of the rod.The stoppers burn away on account of a great deal of wear and tear in the pipes, erosion of the seams, formation of cracks in the pipes and head and deformation of the stopper on account of the rod becoming too hot.The amount of slag in the ladle is one of the main factors for corrosion wear in stopper pipes. The aggressive action in the slag increases as the temperature of the metal and casting time are increased.Breaking off of the spherical part of the head during the first stopper opening due to the formation of skull between the stopper saddle and head can be avoided by using a graphite filling.Insulation of the stopper rod reduces the temperature during casting by 150–300°. The use of good quality mortar in assembling stoppers reduces the erosion of seams, while the use of a high-alumina putty prevents wear in the pipes.