DECEMBER 16, 2020
I honoured to serve as a member of the evaluation committee for the Yu Liu´s doctoral thesis entitled "Thermodynamics and Kinetics in Metallurgical Processes - with a Special Focus on Bubble Dynamics". The public doctoral defence was held at KTH Royal Institute of Technology on December 16, 2020. The thesis was supervised by Associate Professor Mikael Ersson, Associate Professor Björn Glaser and Professor Pär Jönsson.
[View thesis]

OCTERBER 29, 2020
I held an eight-tweet speech on electric arc furnace steelmaking at the #SustMat Twitter conference held on October 29, 2020.
[View tweet chain]

OCTOBER 25, 2020
In continuation of our work with the IDS solidification software, a paper entitled "Thermodynamic, Kinetic, and Microstructure Data for Modeling Solidification of Fe-Al-Mn-Si-C Alloys" was accepted for publication in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B. Furthermore, the second part our our database description was published as a peer-reviewed book in the Acta Universitatis Ouluensis.

Finally, a review paper on mathematical process models for the EAF process was published jointly with RWTH Aachen University in Steel Research International

Bibliographical information

• J. Miettinen, S. Koskenniska, V.-V. Visuri, M. Somani, T. Fabritius, and J. Kömi, “Thermodynamic, Kinetic, and Microstructure Data for Modeling Solidification of Fe-Al-Mn-Si-C Alloys,” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 2946–2962, 2020.
  [View publication]
• J. Miettinen, V.-V. Visuri, and T. Fabritius, Chromium-, copper-, molybdenum-, and nickel-containing thermodynamic descriptions of the Fe–Al–Cr–Cu–Mn–Mo–Ni–Si system for modeling the solidification of steels. No. 758 in Acta Universitatis Ouluensis C Technica, Oulu, Finland: University of Oulu, 2020. 404 pp.
  [View publication]
• T. Hay, V.-V. Visuri, M. Aula, and T. Echterhof, “A Review of Mathematical Process Models for the Electric Arc Furnace Process,” Steel Research International, vol. 92, no. 3, 2021. 2000395.
  [View publication]

AUGUST 19, 2020
H. Tähtilä (University of Oulu), C. Massa (KU Leuven) and A. Ringel (RWTH Aachen University) finished their Master´s theses on experimental investigation of initial slag in hot metal desulphurisation, CFD modelling of ladle shroud and mathematical modelling of electric arc furnace, respectively. Congratulations!

In addition, several new publications were published or accepted for publication during the summer time.

Bibliographical information

• Q. Shu, V.-V. Visuri, T. Alatarvas, and T. Fabritius, “A Model for Inclusion Precipitation Kinetics during Solidification of Steel-Applications in MnS and TiN inclusions,” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 2905–2916, 2020.
  [View publication]
• J. Miettinen, V.-V. Visuri, and T. Fabritius, “Thermodynamic description of ternary Fe–B–X systems. Part 9: Fe–B–Cu,” Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 297–304, 2021.
• J. Miettinen, V.-V. Visuri, and T. Fabritius, “Thermodynamic description of ternary Fe–B–X systems. Part 8: Fe–B–Mo, with extension to quaternary Fe–B–Cr–Mo system,” Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 281–295, 2021.
• A. Kärnä, V.-V. Visuri, E.-P. Heikkinen, P. Sulasalmi, P. Torvinen, J. Koskinen, and T. Fabritius, “Numerical Modeling of Argon-Oxygen Decarburization Slag Cooling,” Steel Research International, vol. 91, no. 11, 2020. 2000054.
  [View publication]

JUNE 6, 2020
I honoured to serve as the opponent for Patrik Ternstedt´s doctoral thesis entitled "A Study of Parameters that Influence the Kinetics of the AOD Decarburisation Process". The public doctoral defence was held at KTH Royal Institute of Technology on June 6, 2020. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Pär Jönssön, Docent Anders Tilliander and Dr. Nils Andersson.
[View thesis]

APRIL 18, 2020
The last paper of T. Vuolio´s doctoral thesis was accepted for publication in Applied Soft Computing. In this paper, we studied the use of variable selection algoritm for predicting the secondary hot metal desulphurisation.

Bibliographical information

• T. Vuolio, V.-V. Visuri, A. Sorsa, S. Ollila, and T. Fabritius, “Application of a genetic algorithm based model selection algorithm for identification of carbide-based hot metal desulfurization,” Applied Soft Computing, vo. 92, 106330, 2020.
  [View publication]

APRIL 7, 2020
Continuing the collaboration between University of Oulu, Luxmet Ltd and RWTH Aachen University, Aron Ringel from RWTH Aachen University has finished his Master's thesis "Online modelling of an electric arc furnace". The thesis was instructed jointly by Docent Ville-Valtteri Visuri, Dr Matti Aula and Tim Haas. In his thesis, Aron developed a mathematical model for scrap melting in the EAF with a special emphasis of applicability for online modelling and coupling with online information flows. The model employs a modular structure with descriptions for the main phenomena, such as radiative heat transfer, burner efficiency and thermochemistry of scrap melting. The thesis was submitted to RWTH Aachen University, where it was examined by Dr Thomas Echterhof and Professor Herbert Pfeifer on April 7, 2020.

APRIL 6, 2020
Our paper on the development of novel phenomena-based quality criteria for continuous was accepted for publication in Ironmaking and Steelmaking, a peer-reviewed journal published by Taylor & Francis.

Bibliographical information

• S. Louhenkilpi, J. Miettinen, V.-V. Visuri, M. C. Somani, S. Koskenniska, and T. Fabritius, “New Phenomenological Quality Criteria for Continuous Casting of Steel Based on Solidification and Microstructure Tool IDS,” Ironmaking and Steelmaking, forthcoming.
  [View publication]

MARCH 27, 2020
The annual meeting nominated me to a 3-year position in the board of the Division of Metallurgical Engineers in the Finnish Association of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.

MARCH 17, 2020
Following an external peer-review and a public teaching demonstration, I was awarded the Title of Docent by University of Oulu from April 1, 2020 onwards. The title is often translated into English as Adjunct Professor to make it comparable to the academic titles of the anglo-saxon university system. The Title of Docent represents an academic rank that permits serving as a principal investigator as well as conducting independent teaching and supervision, including acting as an opponent or examiner of doctoral theses.

MARCH 16, 2020
In relation to our on-going work on modelling solidification of steels, the 7th part of the treatment of Fe-B-X systems, Fe-B-C, was accepted for publication in Archives of Metallurgy and Materials. Furthermore, a paper on "Vibration-Based Monitoring of Gas-Stirring Intensity in Vacuum Tank Degassing" was published in Steel Research International.

Bibliographical information

• M. Pylvänäinen, V.-V. Visuri, J. Nissilä, J. Laurila, K. Karioja, S. Ollila, T. Fabritius, and T. Liedes, “Vibration-Based Monitoring of Gas-Stirring Intensity in Vacuum Tank Degassing,” Steel Research International, vol. 91, no. 6, 1900587, 2020.
  [View publication]
• J. Miettinen, V.-V. Visuri, T. Fabritius, and G. Vassilev, “Thermodynamic description of ternary Fe–B–X systems. Part 7: Fe–B–C,” Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 697–707, 2020.
  [View publication]

FEBRUARY 15, 2020
The Master's thesis of Pauli Pekuri, entitled "Initial Slag in Primary Desulphurisation of Hot Metal", was completed on February 15, 2020. In his thesis, Pekuri studied the variation of the initial slag in hot metal desulphurisation as well as the modification of the initial slag using ladle slag. The thesis was instructed by me, Tero Vuolio and Dr Antti Kemppainen.