Original Article

Effect of electromigration on the growth of TiN particles in molten steel under electropulsing treatment

¹ School of Metallurgical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243000, PR China
² Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Swedish Institute of Technology, Stockholm, 10044, Sweden
³ Engineering Materials, Department of Engineering Science and Mathematics, Luleå University of Technology, 97187, Luleå, Sweden

^* e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 15 October 2025
Accepted: 30 January 2026

Abstract

Pulsed current can refine TiN precipitate dimensions, and mitigates nozzle clogging during continuous casting. Thus, this study applied pulsed current to molten stainless steel 321 to examine how current intensity (0−70 A) affects TiN precipitation. The experimental results demonstrate that the increasing pulsed current intensity elevates TiN distribution density from 555 to 689 particles/mm² while reducing the average precipitate size from 1.72 to 0.84 μm. Theoretically, pulsed current enhances Ti diffusion flux from 9.6 × 10⁻¹⁵ to 2.8 × 10⁻¹⁴ mol/(m²·s), promoting TiN nucleation while suppressing particle growth—an effect that intensifies with higher currents. Furthermore, it reduces the interface energy between TiN and molten steel, increasing the nucleation rate. This study offers novel insights for inhibiting TiN particle growth during continuous casting of Ti-containing stainless steel.