Recent advances in understanding physical properties of metallurgical slags

Present-day knowledge of the structure and physical properties of metallurgical slags is summarized to address structure-property and inter-property relationships. Physical properties of slags including viscosity, electrical conductivity, and surface tension is reviewed focusing on the effect of slag structure, which is comprehensively evaluated using FT-IT, Raman, and MAS-NMR spectroscopy. The effect of the slag composition on slag structure and property is reviewed in detail: Compositional effect encompasses traditional concepts of basicity, network-forming behaviors of anions, and secondary impact of network-modifying cations. Secondary objective of this review is elucidating the mutual relationship between physical properties of slags. For instance, the relationship between slag viscosity and electrical conductivity is suggested by Walden’s rule and discussed based on the experimental results. Slag foaming index is also introduced as a comprehensive understanding method of physical properties of slags. The dimensional analysis was made to address the effect of viscosity, density, and surface tension on the foaming index of slags.