The analysis of factors affecting the alloy yield of carbon structural steel Q235 in the smelting process

Ferroalloy is essential for steelmaking, used for deoxidation and alloying of molten steel. However, each plant has different process flows and technical parameters, leading to varying yields for each alloy type. This study collected production records of Q235 carbon structural steel in Ningbo Iron and Steel Co. for nearly 8 months. Consumption of various ferroalloys was counted, and the use rules for silicon, manganese, and aluminum alloys were summarized. The correlation of silicon and manganese yield with other variables was analyzed using Spearman correlation and clustering. Factors affecting alloy yield were identified, and the important degree and action mode of each key factor were obtained through path analysis. This study resulted in increased yields of silicon and manganese by 2.88% and 3.43%, respectively. Despite these improvements, challenges remain, such as poor data collection accuracy and low transmission efficiency.