Abstract

The current scientific and technical staff of the Institute of Iron and Steel Technology in the lecture hall of the Ledebur Building.

In December 1874, Adolf Ledebur, the smelter master of the Gröditz Ironworks, was appointed professor of ferrous metallurgy and head of the metallurgical laboratory at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. This appointment is regarded as the founding of what is now the Institute of Iron and Steel Technology. Among the 260 years of TU Freiberg's history, approximately 150 years have been dedicated to pioneering research and teaching in ferrous metallurgy, establishing the institute as a center of innovation in this field.

Today, the Institute of Iron and Steel Technology is one of the few institutions in Europe, along with RWTH Aachen (Germany), MU Leoben (Austria), KTH (Sweden), the University of Oulu (Finland), TU Delft (Netherlands), and KU Leuven (Belgium), which still provide extensive education and research in iron and steel technology. It has become a trusted partner of German and European industry, contributing significantly to advances in climate-neutral steel production, greenhouse gas reduction, and the circular economy. The institute offers specializations in ferrous metallurgy through its German diploma and master's programs in Materials Science and Technology. Since 2018, it has expanded its offerings to include English-language master's programs in Metallic Materials Technology and Technology and Application of Inorganic Engineering Materials, enhancing its international reach.

The Institute of Iron and Steel Technology is equipped with two technical facilities: a melt shop and a heat treatment shop, as well as three laboratories specializing in metallography, analytical methods, and thermophysical properties. The melt shop features a variety of advanced equipment, including vacuum induction melting and casting furnaces, high- and medium-frequency induction furnaces, an electroslag remelting unit, atomization systems for metal powder production, and a cold crucible induction furnace. In 2018, the Vacuum Induction Melting furnace (VIM12) was upgraded with a vacuum casting chamber and a casting simulator, enabling simulations of conditions in continuous casting molds. In 2020, the H₂ retort for reducing iron oxide carriers was upgraded with precision balances and gas mass spectrometers. Further advancements followed in 2022, with the addition of EIGA (Electrode Inert Gas Atomization) technology to the VIGA (Vacuum Inert Gas Atomization) unit, allowing refractory metals to be atomized at temperatures up to 2400 °C. The laboratory for thermophysical properties is equipped with SHTT and DHTT (Single and Double Hot Thermocouple Technique) apparatus to study the crystallization behavior of slags, as well as equipment to measure surface tension, density, and viscosity of molten metals and slags, and equipment to characterize melting and flow behavior. Most of the laboratory equipment is self-designed and constructed. In 2016, the institute was granted a patent (DE102014015301B3) for a novel method to measure the viscosity of liquid metals at high temperatures using a vibrating body viscometer.

Current research at the institute is carried out by 19 PhD students and addresses critical challenges in the metallurgical industry. These include direct reduction of iron oxides, such as briquettes, pellets, and scale using hydrogen and ammonia, recycling of steels, metallurgical slags and dusts, evaporation of vanadium pentoxide and phosphorus tetroxide from slags, decopperization of molten steels, thermophysical properties of molten materials, optimization of metal-slag equilibria for dephosphorization and desulfurization, atomization of ferrous alloys and composites, and development of advanced steels, including TRIP/TWIP and Q&P steels. Since 2015, its researchers have produced over 150 SCOPUS-indexed publications, and 12 doctoral theses have been successfully defended.

This special issue of Steel Research International commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Institute of Iron and Steel Technology and celebrates its legacy and continuing contributions to the advancement of metallurgical science and industry. I extend my gratitude to the editors for curating this issue and to the contributing researchers for their valuable input. Their efforts have made this special issue a particularly interesting collection of research papers. I hope that the readers will appreciate and benefit from the articles presented in this issue.

Olena Volkova (b. 16.07.1973) graduated the National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine (1995) and obtained her doctorate from TU Bergakademie Freiberg (2003), with leading roles at TU Freiberg, and thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG. Head of the Institute of Iron and Steel Technology at TU Freiberg since 2015, her expertise spans iron and steelmaking, and her research focuses on slag/dust recycling, H2-reduction, thermophysical properties of molten steels/slags, cleanness, metal and metal matrix composites powder atomization.