Original Article

Research of the relationship between the structure and viscosity of hypereutectic Fe–C binary melt

¹ State Key Laboratory of Metallic Materials for Marine Equipment and Applications, Liaoning, 114009, PR China
² Ansteel Iron & Steel Research Institutes, Liaoning, 114009, PR China
³ Anshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. Ironmaking Plant, Liaoning, 114009, PR China
⁴ School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
⁵ School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia

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

Received: 16 September 2025
Accepted: 12 December 2025

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between the cluster structure and the macroscopic viscosity of Fe–C melts was investigated using the oscillating-cup viscometry method, high-temperature X-ray diffraction and thermodynamic calculations. The results show that the viscosity differences among Fe–C melts with different components are closely related to the melt superheat. According to high temperature X-ray diffraction and thermodynamic calculations results, Fe atoms in the clusters of Fe–C melt are arranged similar to the face-centered cubic structure, while C atoms are more likely to exist in a free state. The experimental results of viscosity measurement of Fe–xC (x = 4.4 wt.%∼5.0 wt.%) melt were compared with their respective structural parameters, and finally it was concluded that the influence mechanism of temperature and carbon content influence the structure and physical properties of Fe–C melts was diverse essentially.