Structural Roles of TiO2 in CaF2-SiO2-CaO-TiO2 Submerged Arc Welding Fluxes

A series of fused CaF2-SiO2-CaO-based fluxes geared towards submerged arc welding has been prepared with incremental TiO2 additions. Through systematic investigation on physical properties, quantitative relationship between TiO2 content and corresponding structural information has been established, and the roles played by TiO2 have been profiled. It is found that TiO2 has been introduced into the silicate network by acting as network-former, increasing the degree of polymerization while lowering the strength of the flux.