Abstract: Late in 1960’s or early in 1970’s, Russian metallurgical workers started to investigate the electroslag melting of cast iron.It is obvious that the desul-furization, dephosphorization, inclusion removal and gas elimination of ESR or ESM have effects on making iron liquid purified and producing high quality casting.In particular, it would be possible to exert some electrochemical control either over the elimination of some harmful elements from the metal or over the pick-up of some alloying elements from the slag using do method. It is interesting that people attempt to make spheroidal-graphite cast iron directly by alloying and modifying under ESR or ESM condition without adding nodulizing agent.
Althought the technological process of the ESR or ESM of cast iron is not perfect and some basic theories to accont for ESR or ESM applied to iron-melting are not yet satisfactory, the ESR br ESM of cast iron may well essentially improve the traditional process as a new technique for making high quality cast iron.
This review collects the literatures and technological data on the ESR or ESM of cast iron in recent decaden and summarizes the researches and results on refining pig iron under ESR or ESM condition in foreign countries. onside-ring the natural resources and the characteristies of industrial development in our country, the suggestions that will develop the technological process and the theories of ESR or ESM for iron-metting are also presented.