ABSTRACT
Ferroalloys refer to the various master alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as chromium, manganese, nickel, molybdenum and silicon (Eric, 2014). In general, ferroalloys are mainly used in steelmaking as alloying agents in order to obtain an appropriate chemical composition of liquid steel (Karbowniczek et al., 2012; Pande et al., 2012). In particular, ferroalloys impact distinct mechanical and chemical properties in steels, and these include (1) resistance to corrosion, (2) hardness and tensile strength at high temperatures, (3) wear and abrasion resistance and (4) creep strength (Holappa, 2010; Pande et al., 2010; Pande et al., 2012; Gasik, 2013). In addition, ferroalloys also play important roles in the refining and solidification of various grades of steels, and these include, inter alia, in the refining, deoxidation and control of inclusions and precipitates (Cha et al., 2008; Pande et al., 2010; Pande et al., 2012; Gasik, 2013; Holappa and Louhenkilpi, 2013; Sen Gupta, 2015). In fact, the advent of ferroalloy metallurgy, in particular ferrochromium, ferronickel, ferromolybdenum and ferrovanadium, among others, has been credited for the development of various ubiquitous grades of stainless and high-specialty steels (Gasik, 2013).
