During the production process, a product’s metal components can become infused with excess amounts of gases. As a result, unwanted imperfections and side effects can impact the integrity or performance of the metal.
Vacuum degassing processes involve the exposure of molten steel to a low-pressure environment to remove gases (chiefly hydrogen and oxygen). The effectiveness of any vacuum degassing operation depends upon the surface area of liquid metal that is exposed to low pressure. This process is typically performed in a specially designed chamber known as a vacuum degasser.
The reduced pressure inside the vessel or chamber causes the gas to become less soluble and separate from the liquefied material. After the vacuum degassing process is complete, the gas is removed from the vessel, and the pressure is returned to normal.
Vacuum degassing to remove carbon not only reduces imperfections, but also makes metals more ductile, or easily shaped and formed through cold metalworking.