Local swelling cause identification device and local swelling cause identifying method

Abstract

To identify a cause of a local swelling occurring in steel-making slag.SOLUTION: A local swelling cause identification device according to the present invention has: a Raman spectroscopic unit that implements a Raman spectroscopic analysis to a plurality of particles in a brave figure state with a particle diameter equal to or less than 150 μm collected from a portion where a local swelling of steel-making slag occurs, and obtains a Raman spectroscopic spectrum; a mineral identification unit that identifies mineral existing in the particle for respective particles on the basis of a detection result of a peak in the obtained Raman spectroscopic spectrum; a count unit that counts the number of the identification results on the identification result identified to the mineral for each of mineral; a ratio calculation unit that calculates a ratio of a number of counts of respective minerals accounted for a total number of the identification results used in the determination of the swelling cause on the basis of the count result; and a swelling cause identification unit that identifies the swelling cause on the basis of whether the ratio calculated for each mineral satisfies a prescribed reference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and a method for identifying the cause of local expansion. [Background technology]

[0002] Steelmaking slag, such as pre-processed slag, converter slag, and electric furnace slag, generated in steelworks is used as roadbed material, as well as for civil engineering and construction materials. These steelmaking slags are generated during the steel refining process.

[0003] In such steelmaking and refining processes, the composition of molten steel or slag may be controlled by adding auxiliary materials, such as a Ca-containing auxiliary material to improve dephosphorization capability or a Mg-containing auxiliary material to suppress the erosion of refractories installed in the furnace.

[0004] Although most of the added auxiliary materials are melted, some of the added auxiliary materials may remain unmelted due to excessive addition of auxiliary materials or uneven stirring of the molten steel. These unmelted auxiliary materials are rich in CaO and MgO and can cause the steelmaking slag to expand. Furthermore, once melted, they may become single-phase CaO or MgO during the cooling process, and such single-phase CaO or MgO can also cause the steelmaking slag to expand.

[0005] It is known that the above-mentioned CaO and MgO (especially those that exist as a single phase) expand in volume as they undergo hydration. Therefore, before steelmaking slag is processed into products such as roadbed materials, it is common to intentionally induce hydration by performing a process called aging, thereby preventing the steelmaking slag from expanding.

[0006] For steelmaking slag used in roadbeds, etc., JIS A5015:2018 specifies the upper limit of the expansion rate and also specifies specific methods for testing the expansion rate. Therefore, it is important to perform an appropriate aging process so that the steelmaking slag used as a material meets the above-mentioned expansion rate standards.

[0007] The most commonly used aging treatments are air aging and steam aging. However, air aging requires time, and steam aging is costly due to the need to inject steam. In addition, with either aging method, the steelmaking slag must be stored until the aging treatment is complete, which requires securing a storage space for the steelmaking slag. Therefore, the aging treatment should be kept to the minimum necessary to complete the hydration reaction.

[0008] Therefore, Patent Document 1 below proposes a method for quantitatively understanding the aging time dependency of the hydration expansion behavior of steelmaking slag as one of the useful pieces of information for obtaining knowledge about how long the aging treatment should be carried out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-12053 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] Even if the aging treatment is carried out using the method proposed in Patent Document 1, if unmelted secondary materials are present locally, expansion may occur after the aging treatment or after the product is made. In order to prevent such unintended expansion, it is considered important to identify the cause of the local expansion that has occurred.

[0011] Here, by collecting the portion that did not expand (healthy portion) and the portion where expansion occurred (expanded portion) and performing a composition analysis, it may be possible to identify the cause of the expansion, such as "the content of CaO or MgO is higher than that of the healthy portion." However, commonly used analytical methods often fail to identify the cause of the expansion. Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that can identify the cause of localized expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, even in cases where the cause of the expansion could not be identified using conventional methods.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for identifying the cause of local expansion that can identify the cause of local expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag even in cases where the cause of expansion could not be identified in the past. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] As a result of intensive research conducted by the present inventors to solve the above problems, they have come to the knowledge that in order to identify the cause of localized expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, it is important to understand what minerals were present in the area where the expansion occurred. Based on this knowledge, the present inventors have come to the idea of ​​using Raman spectroscopy as an analytical method for identifying the minerals that were present in the area of ​​expansion.

[0014] Furthermore, the inventors have found that simply assigning the numerous peaks contained in the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectrum is not helpful in identifying the cause of the expansion. Therefore, as a result of further investigation, the inventors have come up with the idea of ​​performing Raman spectroscopy on each particle collected from the expansion site to identify the minerals contained in the particle, and calculating the number and proportion of each identified mineral to estimate the contribution of each mineral to the local expansion. The gist of the present invention, which was completed based on these findings, is as follows.

[0015] (1) A local expansion cause identification device that identifies the cause of local expansion that has occurred in steelmaking slag, the local expansion cause identification device having a Raman spectroscopic device, and comprising: a Raman spectroscopic unit that performs Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of particles in a formed state with a particle size of 150 μm or less that have been collected from a site where local expansion has occurred in steelmaking slag, and obtains a Raman spectroscopic spectrum for each of the particles; a mineral identification unit that identifies the mineral present in each of the particles based on the peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectroscopic spectrum; a counting unit that counts the number of identification results identified for each mineral based on the identification results by the mineral identification unit; a proportion calculation unit that calculates the proportion of the count of each mineral to the total number of identification results, which is used to determine the cause of the expansion, based on the counting results by the counting unit; and an expansion cause identification unit that identifies the cause of the expansion based on whether the proportion calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined standard. (2) The mineral identification unit detects a region in the Raman spectrum between 100 and 2000 cm -1 The device for identifying the cause of local expansion described in (1) narrows down the minerals present in the particle of interest to one based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range. (3) The local expansion cause identification device described in (2), wherein, when the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from the same mineral, the mineral identification unit identifies the Raman spectrum of interest as that of the corresponding mineral; when the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, and if this is the first time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the mineral identification unit refers to the counting result by the counting unit and identifies the Raman spectrum of interest as that of the mineral with the lower count at that time; when this is the second or subsequent time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the mineral identification unit identifies the Raman spectrum of interest as that of a mineral different from the previous time; and when the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from three different minerals, the mineral identification unit identifies the Raman spectrum of interest as that of an unknown mineral. (4) The device for identifying a cause of local expansion according to (3), wherein the causes of the expansion include CaO and MgO contained in the steelmaking slag, and the expansion cause identification unit identifies CaO as the cause of the expansion when the proportion of the mineral Ca(OH)2, which is a reactant of the CaO, is 5% or more, when the proportion of the mineral CaCO3, which is a reactant of the CaO, is 50% or more, or when the proportion of the mineral Ca(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of the mineral CaCO3 is 50% or more, and identifies MgO as the cause of the expansion when the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 5% or more, when the proportion of the mineral MgCO3, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 50% or more, or when the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of the mineral MgCO3 is 50% or more. (5) The local expansion cause identification device described in (1), wherein the mineral identification unit continues to identify the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectra for the plurality of particles until the total number of identified minerals reaches at least 50. (6) A method for identifying the cause of local expansion that has occurred in steelmaking slag, comprising: a Raman spectroscopic step of performing Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of particles in a formed state having a particle size of 150 μm or less that have been collected from a site where local expansion has occurred in the steelmaking slag, to obtain a Raman spectroscopic spectrum for each of the particles; a mineral identification step of identifying the mineral present in each of the particles based on the peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectroscopic spectrum; a counting step of counting the number of identification results identified for each mineral based on the identification results in the mineral identification step; a proportion calculation step of calculating the proportion of the count number of each of the minerals to the total number of identification results, which is used to determine the cause of the expansion, based on the count results in the counting step; and an expansion cause identification step of identifying the cause of the expansion based on whether the proportion calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined standard. (7) In the mineral identification step, in the Raman spectroscopy spectrum, -1The method for identifying the cause of local expansion described in (6), wherein the minerals present in the particle of interest are narrowed down to one based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range. (8) In the mineral identification step, if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from the same mineral, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the corresponding mineral; if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, and if this is the first time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the counting result from the counting step is referred to, and the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the mineral with the lowest count at that time; if this is the second or subsequent time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of a mineral different from the previous time; and if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from three different minerals, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of an unknown mineral. (9) The method for identifying a cause of local expansion according to (8), wherein the causes of the expansion include CaO and MgO contained in the steelmaking slag, and in the expansion cause identifying step, CaO is identified as the cause of the expansion if the proportion of the mineral Ca(OH)2, which is a reactant of the CaO, is 5% or more, if the proportion of the mineral CaCO3, which is a reactant of the CaO, is 50% or more, or if the proportion of the mineral Ca(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of the mineral CaCO3 is 50% or more, and MgO is identified as the cause of the expansion if the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 5% or more, if the proportion of the mineral MgCO3, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 50% or more, or if the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of the mineral MgCO3 is 50% or more. (10) A method for identifying the cause of local expansion described in (6), wherein in the mineral identification process, the Raman spectroscopy spectra obtained are identified for the plurality of particles until the total number of identified minerals reaches at least 50. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to identify the cause of local expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, even in cases where the cause of expansion could not be identified in the past. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the overall configuration of a local expansion cause identifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an analysis processing unit included in the local expansion cause identifying device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the peak positions of Raman shifts related to minerals. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a mineral identification unit included in the local expansion cause identification device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a counting unit included in the local expansion cause identifying device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a ratio calculation unit included in the local expansion cause identifying device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a calculation processing unit included in the local expansion cause identification device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the first analysis results regarding steelmaking slag. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the second analysis results regarding steelmaking slag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0019] (Identifying the cause of expansion occurring in steelmaking slag) Before describing the local expansion cause identification device and method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the causes of expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag will be described in detail below, and the reasons why no methods for identifying the cause of expansion have been proposed in the past will also be mentioned.

[0020] As briefly mentioned earlier, the CaO and MgO contained in the auxiliary materials added to steelmaking slag are thought to be the cause of the expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag. Among these CaO and MgO derived from auxiliary materials, those that melt once and then become a single phase during the cooling process are called free CaO and free MgO, and are known to be prone to volume expansion during hydration reactions.

[0021] The single-phase CaO and MgO that may be contained in slag are sometimes referred to in more detail, such as undissolved CaO / MgO (added secondary materials that remain undissolved), crystallized CaO / MgO (single-phase CaO / MgO) (crystallized CaO / MgO) (precipitated ...

[0022] Aging treatment is generally performed to prevent the expansion caused by free CaO / MgO as described above. To perform the aging treatment more efficiently, it is important to identify whether the steelmaking slag of interest contains free CaO or free MgO. Furthermore, since free MgO is known to undergo a slower hydration reaction than free CaO, it is important to adjust the aging treatment, such as by lengthening the aging treatment or by implementing a treatment to promote the reaction, depending on whether or not the slag contains free MgO.

[0023] Here, it is possible to infer that there is a very high possibility that free CaO / MgO is present in cases such as (i) when the steelmaking refining process is carried out with the intention of increasing the amount of Ca or Mg, or (ii) when the analysis results of the molten slag carried out at the end of refining show a high concentration of Ca or Mg. However, when free CaO / MgO is present locally, such as when undissolved secondary materials are included, it may not be possible to infer this from the operating conditions of the steelmaking refining process or the above-mentioned analytical results. Furthermore, when new operating conditions are implemented, etc., and a simple comparison with past operations is not possible, it may be difficult to infer this.

[0024] As in the example above, when it is difficult to guess the cause of expansion, expansion may occur even after aging treatment, and it may be noticed for the first time that free CaO or free MgO is present. In such cases, it is important to determine which oxide was present, or whether both were present, because different measures can be taken depending on which oxide caused the expansion. However, commonly used analytical methods often fail to identify the cause of expansion.

[0025] For example, if localized expansion occurs due to residual secondary materials or the inclusion of foreign matter, collecting a large amount of sample from the expanded area will result in a sample that also includes healthy parts, diluting the minerals that cause the expansion and making it impossible to identify the cause of the expansion. Furthermore, mineral phases that could cause expansion and the elements contained in those mineral phases are often detected in healthy parts where no expansion has occurred. Therefore, unless they are detected only from the expanded area, if such dilution occurs, it is impossible to determine the cause of the expansion.

[0026] Furthermore, commonly performed chemical composition analyses, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and ICP optical emission spectroscopy, and mineral phase analyses, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), require hundreds of mg to several g of sample ground to approximately 100 μm. On the other hand, most steelmaking slag used in products such as roadbed materials has a particle size of several mm or more. Therefore, grinding a single particle of this type would result in a volume of several tens of grams or more, which would result in the dilution effect mentioned above.

[0027] Furthermore, powder is often generated at the location where the expansion is thought to be occurring, but even if only this powder is collected, it is often only a few mg to a dozen mg. Therefore, the amount of sample required for analysis is insufficient for the general analytical methods described above, making it impossible to carry out the analysis itself.

[0028] Another possibility is to analyze elements and mineral phases by embedding the sample in resin, polishing it, and observing the surface of the sample, as in the case of an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) mounted on a scanning electron microscope (SEM). However, as mentioned above, the expansion area is often localized or powdery, and is often lost during resin embedding and polishing, making analysis difficult.

[0029] For the reasons mentioned above, conventional analytical methods have sometimes been unable to properly identify the cause of expansion, such as cracking or powdering.

[0030] Taking the above situation into consideration, the inventors conducted extensive research and came up with the idea of ​​performing Raman spectroscopy on each particle collected from the expansion area to identify the minerals contained in the particle, and calculating the number of identified minerals and their proportion for each identified mineral, thereby estimating the contribution of each mineral to the local expansion. A local expansion cause identifying device and a local expansion cause identifying method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which have been developed based on this knowledge, will be described in detail below.

[0031] (Regarding the local expansion cause identification device) <Overall configuration of the local expansion cause identification device> First, the overall configuration of the device for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram that schematically shows the overall configuration of the device for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment.

[0032] As shown schematically in Figure 1, the local expansion cause identification device 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus that performs Raman spectroscopy analysis on particles S collected from a site where local expansion of steelmaking slag has occurred, to identify the cause of the local expansion.

[0033] Here, the method for collecting particles S is not particularly specified, and various methods may be appropriately implemented, such as collecting particles present in the area where expansion has occurred using laboratory equipment such as a medicine spoon or spatula, or brushing the area where expansion has occurred and collecting particles present in such area.

[0034] As described above, powder is often generated at the location where expansion has occurred. Therefore, in the local expansion cause identifying device 1 according to this embodiment, particles to be analyzed among particles in a solid state collected from the location where expansion has occurred are those with a particle size of 150 μm or less. Furthermore, the lower limit of the particle size of the particles S to be analyzed is preferably, for example, 20 μm or more. This is because, when the particle size of the particles S is less than 20 μm, Raman scattering may not be detected even if the power of the excitation light is increased within a range that does not cause deterioration of the particles S.

[0035] In addition, particles with a particle size exceeding 150 μm may be removed in advance by sieving or the like, or even if they are not removed, they may be removed by not carrying out the measurement by Raman spectroscopy as described in detail below.

[0036] Furthermore, the analysis target of the local expansion cause identifying device 1 according to this embodiment is particles in their intact state collected from the location where expansion has occurred, and no pre-processing such as crushing is required.

[0037] In the local expansion cause identification device 1 according to this embodiment, the number of particles S having a particle diameter of 150 μm or less to be analyzed is preferably 50 or more. By setting the number of particles S having a particle diameter of 150 μm or less to 50 or more, it becomes possible to perform a statistically meaningful analysis, and it becomes possible to further improve the reliability of the identified expansion cause. The number of particles S having a particle diameter of 150 μm or less to be analyzed is more preferably 100 or more. Note that, although the number of particles S having a particle diameter of 150 μm or less to be analyzed is preferably as large as possible, if the number is too large, it may take a long time to identify the expansion cause, reducing convenience. From this perspective, the upper limit of the number of particles S having a particle diameter of 150 μm or less to be analyzed is preferably substantially about 300.

[0038] The local expansion cause identifying device 1, which analyzes solid particles S having a particle size of 150 μm or less as described above, includes a Raman spectroscopic unit 10 and a calculation processing unit 20, as shown in FIG.

[0039] <About the Raman spectroscopic unit 10> The Raman spectroscopy unit 10 has a Raman spectroscopy device, and under the control of the calculation processing unit 20 described later, irradiates particles S, which are the analysis target, with excitation light of a predetermined wavelength and detects Raman scattering from the particles S. At this time, the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 irradiates only one particle S of interest with the excitation light and detects Raman scattering from that particle S. When detecting Raman scattering from the particle S, the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 disperses the detected Raman scattering to generate a Raman spectrum for the particle S of interest. The generated Raman spectrum is output to the calculation processing unit 20 and is used for processing to identify the cause of expansion, as described later.

[0040] Furthermore, when the detection of Raman scattering from one particle S is completed, the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 irradiates the next particle S of interest with excitation light and detects Raman scattering from that particle S. In this way, the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 sequentially detects Raman scattering for each of the multiple particles S placed on the measurement stage or the like of the Raman spectroscopy device.

[0041] Here, since the Raman spectroscopy section 10 according to this embodiment is a section that focuses on Raman scattering from each particle S, it is preferable that the Raman spectroscopy device included in the Raman spectroscopy section 10 is a microscopic Raman spectroscopy device. In this case, the objective magnification of the microscopic Raman spectroscopy device is not particularly specified, but it is preferable to select an objective magnification (for example, about 50 times) that allows excitation light to be appropriately irradiated onto each particle S.

[0042] Furthermore, when the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 performs Raman spectroscopy on each particle S, it is important to disperse each particle S so that the excitation light does not irradiate multiple particles. The degree to which each particle S should be dispersed depends on the size of the measurement stage of the Raman spectroscopy device used, the beam diameter of the excitation light, and so on, and is not particularly specified, and the particles should be dispersed appropriately so as not to overlap with each other.

[0043] The measurement range of Raman scattering by the Raman spectroscopic unit 10 is 100 to 2000 cm -1 In the case of Raman scattering from minerals, the wavelength range is preferably set to include the above range of 100 to 2000 cm. -1 This is because peaks useful for identifying minerals are often detected in this range.

[0044] The wavelength of the excitation light that the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 irradiates onto the particle S is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient to select an appropriate laser wavelength (e.g., 785 nm) that does not alter the particle S. Furthermore, the power and irradiation time of the excitation light are not particularly specified, and it is sufficient to select a power and irradiation time that can generate Raman scattering of detectable intensity from a single particle, within a range that does not alter the particle S.

[0045] The Raman spectroscopic section 10 included in the local expansion cause identifying device 1 according to this embodiment has been described in detail above.

[0046] The Raman spectrometer in the Raman spectrometer unit 10 may be a particle size distribution measuring device with a microscopic Raman spectroscopy function (e.g., Morphologi 4-ID manufactured by Malvern Panalytical). With such a particle size distribution measuring device, it is possible to almost completely automate the processes of dispersing particles to be measured, measuring particle diameters, and measuring using the microscopic Raman spectroscopy function in order to measure the particle size distribution. Therefore, it is possible to almost completely automate the processes mentioned above, such as the process of preventing particle overlap, the process of selecting particles with a particle size of 150 μm or less, and the Raman scattering measurement, all with this single device.

[0047] To achieve the above-mentioned automation, various settings must be configured for the particle size analyzer, but these settings depend on the instrument being used, so no specific specifications are required. Below, as a reference example, we list the settings for a Morphologi 4-ID manufactured by Malvern Panalytical.

[0048] <Particle dispersion conditions> ·Dispersion amount: 1~20mm 3 <Particle size measurement conditions>: Determine the measurement range for particle size so that there are at least 50 particles within the measurement range. Obtain the position information of the measured particles and perform Raman scattering measurement on the particles whose particle size has been measured. ·Light source: transmitted light Magnification: 10x <Raman scattering measurement conditions>: Raman spectroscopy is performed on each particle whose particle diameter has been measured. ·Light source: transmitted light Magnification: 50x Number of particles measured: 50 or more

[0049] <Regarding the arithmetic processing unit 20> The calculation processing unit 20 controls the Raman scattering measurement process by the Raman spectroscopy unit 10, and identifies the cause of the local expansion that has occurred by analyzing multiple Raman spectroscopy spectra obtained from each particle S generated by the Raman spectroscopy unit 10.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1, the calculation processing unit 20 includes a measurement control unit 201, an analysis processing unit 203, a display control unit 205, and a storage unit 207.

[0051] The measurement control unit 201 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication device, etc. The measurement control unit 201 controls the Raman scattering measurement process by the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 according to this embodiment. More specifically, the measurement control unit 201 controls the wavelength, power, irradiation time, irradiation position, etc. of the excitation light based on measurement conditions, etc. set by the user of the local expansion cause identification device 1, and causes the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 to measure the Raman scattering of each particle to be analyzed. Furthermore, the measurement control unit 201 stops the measurement process by the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 when a sufficient number of Raman spectroscopy spectra have been acquired to identify the cause of the local expansion.

[0052] The analysis processing unit 203 is realized by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication device, etc. The analysis processing unit 203 acquires a plurality of pieces of Raman spectroscopy spectrum data for each particle S output from the Raman spectroscopy unit 10, and performs a predetermined analysis process on the data to identify the cause of the local expansion. This analysis process will be described in detail again below.

[0053] When the cause of the local expansion is identified by the analysis processing in the analysis processing unit 203, the obtained result is output to the display control unit 205 at the subsequent stage.

[0054] The display control unit 205 is realized by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an output device, etc. The display control unit 205 controls the display of various data related to the results of identifying the cause of local expansion transmitted from the analysis processing unit 203 on an output device such as a display provided in the calculation processing unit 20 or an output device provided outside the calculation processing unit 20. This allows the user of the local expansion cause identification device 1 to easily grasp information related to the cause of local expansion in the steelmaking slag of interest.

[0055] The storage unit 207 is realized by, for example, a RAM or a storage device provided in the arithmetic processing unit 20 according to this embodiment. The storage unit 207 appropriately records various information such as various parameters and intermediate processing progress that need to be saved when the arithmetic processing unit 20 according to this embodiment performs some processing, as well as various databases and programs. The measurement control unit 201, analysis processing unit 203, display control unit 205, etc. can freely read / write data from / to this storage unit 207.

[0056] [Detailed configuration of the analysis processing unit 203] Next, the detailed configuration of the analysis processing unit 203 according to this embodiment will be described. Note that the following will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, taking as an example a case where CaO and MgO in steelmaking slag are focused on as substances that cause local expansion.

[0057] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the analysis processing unit of the local expansion cause identification device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the analysis processing unit 203 according to this embodiment includes a mineral identification unit 211, a counting unit 213, a ratio calculation unit 215, and an expansion cause identification unit 217.

[0058] <About Mineral Identification Section 211> The mineral identification unit 211 is realized by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication device, etc. The mineral identification unit 211 identifies the mineral present in each of the particles S that are the analysis target, based on the peak detection results in the Raman spectroscopy spectrum obtained by the Raman spectroscopy unit 10.

[0059] The Raman spectrum obtained by the Raman spectroscopic unit 10 contains peaks that reflect the chemical bonds of the mineral components, depending on the various minerals present in the particle S being measured. Therefore, the mineral identification unit 211 identifies the mineral corresponding to the particle S by focusing on the peaks present in the Raman spectroscopic spectrum.

[0060] Prior to the mineral identification process, the mineral identification unit 211 labels each Raman spectrum transmitted from the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 based on various known methods. Furthermore, the mineral identification unit 211 normalizes the peak intensity of each peak present in each Raman spectrum transmitted from the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 so that the maximum intensity is 1. This makes it easier to perform the mineral identification process described below.

[0061] The mineral identification unit 211 detects a peak having a normalized intensity of 0.1 or more and a full width at half maximum of 6 cm in each Raman spectrum.-1 Peaks that satisfy the above criteria are treated as peaks to be subjected to the identification process. By subjecting only peaks having the above intensities and full width at half maximum to the identification process, it is possible to exclude peaks that are low in intensity and thought to be present in small amounts in the particle S (i.e., peaks that are presumed to be different from the cause of expansion) from the target of the identification process. This can improve the reliability of the process of identifying the cause of expansion performed by the analysis processing unit 203 according to this embodiment.

[0062] As described above, the mineral identification unit 211 determines the peaks to be identified in each Raman spectrum, and then identifies the peaks in the range of 100 to 2000 cm -1 Based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range, the minerals present in the particle S of interest are narrowed down to one. That is, the mineral identification unit 211 according to this embodiment identifies one Raman spectrum as the spectrum obtained when one mineral is measured. Note that if there are not three peaks in the Raman spectrum of interest, all of the existing peaks can be used.

[0063] The particle S collected from the site where local expansion has occurred may be composed of a single mineral or multiple minerals. However, the mineral identification unit 211 according to this embodiment focuses on only three peaks with high peak intensities in the Raman spectrum obtained from the particle S, even if the particle S is composed of multiple minerals, and identifies the particle S as a single mineral by processing the Raman spectrum based on the identification criteria described below. By using the identification criteria described below in combination with the counting process and the percentage calculation process described separately below, the local expansion cause identification device 1 according to this embodiment can identify the cause of the expansion without complicating the identification process of the Raman spectrum (the process becomes more complicated due to the increase in the number of peaks that must be considered).

[0064] Here, when identifying the three peaks with the highest peak intensities extracted from each Raman spectrum, the mineral identification unit 211 uses a database that indicates, for each mineral, the peak positions of the Raman shifts detected in the Raman spectrum of that mineral.The mineral identification unit 211 compares the peak positions of the three peaks in the Raman spectrum actually measured from the particle with the peak positions listed in the database, and identifies to which mineral the peak of interest belongs.

[0065] Note that various databases available on the Internet and the like can be used as databases of Raman shift peak positions used for mineral identification. Alternatively, a unique database may be constructed by compiling the Raman shift peak positions of various minerals described in various scientific papers, or peak positions obtained by measuring the Raman spectrum of standard materials in advance. Such a database is preferably stored in, for example, the memory unit 207 of the arithmetic processing unit 20.

[0066] An example of such a database is shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of peak positions of Raman shifts related to minerals. Note that the format of the database that can be used by the mineral identification unit 211 according to this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in Figure 3.

[0067] When focusing on CaO and MgO in steelmaking slag as substances that cause expansion of the steelmaking slag, the minerals used to identify the Raman spectroscopy spectrum are Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, Mg(OH)2, MgCO3, etc., which are typical compounds produced as a result of the hydration reaction of CaO and MgO. Figure 3 shows the peak positions P1, P2, and P3 of up to three peaks present in the Raman spectroscopy spectra of these Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, Mg(OH)2, MgCO3, etc., in descending order of intensity. Here, the peak at peak position P1 is assumed to be the most intense.

[0068] Furthermore, it is preferable that the database shown in Figure 3 includes information not only on minerals that cause expansion, but also on minerals commonly found in steelmaking slag (minerals that are not thought to cause expansion). Figure 3 also lists the Raman shift peak positions of Ca2SiO4 (Larnite), Ca2Fe2O5, Merwinite (Ca3Mg(SiO4)2), Akermanite (CaMgSiO7), and Gehelenite (Ca2Al(Al,Si)2O7) as examples of minerals commonly found in steelmaking slag.

[0069] In the mineral identification unit 211 according to this embodiment, when focusing on one Raman spectrum, up to three peaks in the spectrum are extracted in order of increasing intensity (for convenience, the peak positions of the extracted peaks will be referred to as Pa, Pb, and Pc in order of decreasing intensity below). Then, for each of the extracted peak positions Pa, Pb, and Pc, the mineral identification unit 211 refers to a database such as that shown in FIG. 3 to determine to which mineral each of the peak positions Pa, Pb, and Pc is attributed.

[0070] Here, the peak position of the Raman spectrum obtained by the Raman spectroscopic section 10 is within a range of several cm -1 Therefore, it is preferable to take such an error into consideration when comparing with the database as described above. Therefore, in the mineral identification unit 211 according to this embodiment, when comparing the peak positions P1, P2, and P3 of each mineral listed in the database with the extracted peak positions Pa, Pb, and Pc, an error of, for example, ±3 cm is taken into consideration. -1 It is preferable to consider errors up to

[0071] Next, the mineral identification criteria in the mineral identification unit 211 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the mineral identification unit included in the local expansion cause identifying device according to this embodiment.

[0072] The mineral identification section 211 according to this embodiment identifies one Raman spectrum as one mineral in accordance with the following three criteria, (Criterion A) to (Criterion C).

[0073] (Criterion A) If the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks originating from the same mineral, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the corresponding mineral.

[0074] As shown in the example of particle No. 1 in Figure 4, the Raman spectrum of particle No. 1 shows an extracted peak at a peak position of Pa = 361 cm. -1 Suppose that only the peak at position Pa is present. According to the database such as that shown in FIG. 3, this peak position Pa is a peak attributed to Ca(OH)2. Therefore, the mineral identification unit 211 determines Ca(OH)2 as a candidate mineral for spectrum identification. In this case, the mineral identification unit 211 identifies the Raman spectrum of particle No. 1 as that of the mineral Ca(OH)2 in accordance with the above (Criterion A).

[0075] (Criterion B) When the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, the identification is performed with reference to the counting results by the counting unit 213, which will be described later. (Criterion B-1) If the combination of mineral A and mineral B is the first time (first appearance), the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the mineral with the lower count at that time. (Criterion B-2) If the combination of mineral A and mineral B occurs for the second or subsequent time, it shall be identified as the mineral different from the previous one.

[0076] As shown in the example of particle No. 2 in Figure 4, the Raman spectrum of particle No. 2 shows a peak at Pa = 1089 cm -1 , Pb=359cm -1 , Pc=282cm -1Assume that peaks have been extracted. According to the database shown in Figure 3, the peaks at peak positions Pa and Pc are peaks attributed to CaCO3, and the peak at peak position Pb is a peak attributed to Ca(OH)2. Therefore, the mineral identification unit 211 determines CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2 as two candidate minerals for spectrum identification.

[0077] Since there were two candidate minerals, the mineral identification unit 211, in accordance with the above (Criterion B), refers to the counting results (more specifically, the interim counting progress) by the counting unit 213, which will be described later. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the mineral identification unit 211, by referring to the interim counting progress, determines that the combination of CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2 is the first to appear, and that the count number of each mineral at that time is only one, Ca(OH)2. Therefore, in accordance with the above (Criterion B-1), the mineral identification unit 211 identifies the Raman spectrum of particle No. 2 as that of the mineral CaCO3, which is the mineral with the smallest count number at that time.

[0078] Furthermore, as shown in the example of particle No. 4 in Figure 4, the Raman spectrum of particle No. 4 shows a peak at Pa = 1091 cm -1 , Pb=360cm -1 , Pc=280cm -1 Assume that peaks have been extracted. According to the database shown in Figure 3, the peaks at peak positions Pa and Pc are peaks attributed to CaCO3, and the peak at peak position Pb is a peak attributed to Ca(OH)2. Therefore, the mineral identification unit 211 determines CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2 as two candidate minerals for spectrum identification.

[0079] Since there were two candidate minerals, the mineral identification unit 211 refers to the counting results (more specifically, the intermediate counting progress) by the counting unit 213, which will be described later, in accordance with the above (Criterion B). In the example shown in FIG. 4, the mineral identification unit 211 determines by referring to the intermediate counting progress that this is the second time that CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2 have been combined, and that the previous identification identified it as CaCO3. Therefore, in accordance with the above (Criterion B-2), the mineral identification unit 211 identifies the Raman spectroscopy spectrum of particle No. 4 as that of the mineral Ca(OH)2, which is a different mineral from the previous identification.

[0080] In this way, when a maximum of three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, by determining the mineral to be identified based on the criteria described above, it is possible to distribute the number of times such a combination is identified almost equally between the two minerals.

[0081] Strictly speaking, if such a combination occurs an even number of times, the identified number of times can be divided equally into two, but if such a combination occurs an odd number of times, the number of times for one mineral will be less by 1. However, as will be described later, the analysis processing unit 203 according to this embodiment continues processing until the total number of identified minerals reaches a threshold value or more (for example, at least 50 or more), so it is considered that such a difference in the number of times of division (1 time) has little effect on identifying the cause of local swelling.

[0082] (Criterion C) If the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks originating from three different minerals, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as an unknown mineral. Even if a peak is present in the Raman spectrum but is difficult to identify, such as because the peak intensity is low, it will be identified as an unknown mineral.

[0083] As shown in the example of particle No. 6 in Figure 4, the Raman spectrum of particle No. 6 shows a peak at Pa = 362 cm -1 , Pb=448cm -1 , Pc=1090cm-1 Suppose peaks are extracted. According to the database shown in Fig. 3, the peak at peak position Pa is a peak attributed to Ca(OH)2, the peak at peak position Pb is a peak attributed to Mg(OH)2, and the peak at peak position Pc is a peak attributed to Ca(OH)2. Therefore, the mineral identification unit 211 determines that the candidate minerals for spectrum identification are Ca(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, and CaCO3.

[0084] Since there were three candidate minerals, the mineral identification unit 211 identifies the Raman spectrum of particle No. 6 as that of an unknown mineral (unknown phase) in accordance with the above (Criterion C).

[0085] As described above, the mineral identification unit 211 associates each of the multiple Raman spectroscopy spectra obtained by the Raman spectroscopy unit 10 with one mineral. If prior information is available about the chemical composition and minerals contained in the steelmaking slag of interest, the mineral identification process can be performed more quickly by preferentially matching known minerals or minerals estimated from the chemical composition.

[0086] When the mineral identification unit 211 identifies one Raman spectrum to one mineral in the above manner, it outputs the obtained identification result to the counting unit 213 described later. In addition, the mineral identification unit 211 may store information on the identification history of the mineral, for example, as shown in Fig. 4, in the storage unit 207 or the like.

[0087] <About Counting Unit 213> The counting unit 213 is realized by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. Based on the identification results by the mineral identification unit 211, the counting unit 213 counts the number of identification results identified for each mineral.

[0088] For example, when the identification of the Raman spectroscopy spectra of particles No. 1 to No. 6 as shown in Figure 4 is completed, the counting unit 213 counts the number of identification results for each mineral based on the identification results by the mineral identification unit 211, and an intermediate counting progress as shown in Figure 5 is generated.

[0089] In the local expansion cause identification device 1 of this embodiment, the series of processes, including the Raman scattering measurement process by the Raman spectroscopic unit 10, the Raman spectroscopic spectrum identification process by the mineral identification unit 211, and the counting process by the counting unit 213, is continued until the total number of identified minerals reaches a threshold value or more (for example, at least 50 or more).

[0090] In the local expansion cause identifying device 1 according to this embodiment, the above series of steps can be terminated at any timing. If the above steps are terminated before the Raman scattering measurement is completed for all of the collected particles with a particle size of 150 μm or less, there will be particles for which the Raman scattering measurement has not been performed, but this will have little effect on identifying the cause of the local expansion.

[0091] After the above series of steps is terminated (or completed), the counting unit 213 tallies up the counting results and outputs them to the ratio calculation unit 215, which will be described later.

[0092] <Regarding the ratio calculation unit 215> The ratio calculation unit 215 is realized by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. Based on the counting result by the counting unit 213, the ratio calculation unit 215 calculates the ratio of the count number of each mineral to the total number of identification results, which is used to determine the cause of expansion.

[0093] Assume that the counting unit 213 has generated count results such as those shown in Fig. 6. In this case, the proportion calculation unit 215 uses the fact that the total number (total number) of identification results is 155 to calculate the proportion of the count number of each mineral to the total number for each mineral.

[0094] After calculating the ratio of the count number of each mineral as described above, the ratio calculation unit 215 outputs the obtained calculation result to the expansion cause identification unit 217 described later.

[0095] <<About the expansion cause identification unit 217>> The expansion cause identifying unit 217 according to this embodiment is realized by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.

[0096] If particles collected from a location where localized expansion has occurred are identified as CaO, MgO, or a reaction product thereof, it can be determined that CaO or MgO is the cause of the expansion. Therefore, the expansion cause identifying unit 217 according to this embodiment identifies the cause of the expansion based on whether the ratios calculated for each mineral as shown in Fig. 6 satisfy a predetermined standard.

[0097] More specifically, when two oxides, CaO and MgO, are considered as causes of expansion, the expansion cause identifying unit 217 identifies CaO as the cause of expansion when the proportion of mineral Ca(OH)2 is 5% or more, when the proportion of mineral CaCO3 is 50% or more, or when the proportion of mineral Ca(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of mineral CaCO3 is 50% or more. Also, the expansion cause identifying unit 217 identifies MgO as the cause of expansion when the proportion of mineral Mg(OH)2 is 5% or more, when the proportion of mineral MgCO3 is 50% or more, or when the proportion of mineral Mg(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of mineral MgCO3 is 50% or more.

[0098] Here, the threshold value serving as the judgment criterion as described above can be determined in advance based on the value of the proportion of the mineral of interest when particles of steelmaking slag whose expansion cause is known are similarly analyzed using the local expansion cause identification device 1 according to this embodiment.

[0099] In this way, the expansion cause identification unit 217 can identify the cause of local expansion that has occurred in steelmaking slag, even in cases where the cause of expansion could not be identified in the past.

[0100] The configuration of the analysis processing unit 203 included in the local expansion cause identifying device 1 according to this embodiment has been specifically described above with reference to FIGS.

[0101] In the above explanation, we focused on two oxides, CaO and MgO, as the causes of expansion, but it is also possible to consider substances that cause expansion other than CaO and MgO. In that case, the mineral identification process should be performed taking into account the peaks in the Raman spectroscopy spectrum of the desired causative substance and its reaction products.

[0102] For example, if you want to consider ettringite (3CaO·Al2O3·3CaSO·32H2O), which is one of the cement hydrates, as the substance that causes expansion, you can perform mineral identification processing by focusing on ettringite and minerals that have undergone further hydration reactions from ettringite. For example, for ettringite, P1 = 987 cm -1 , P2=855cm -1 , P3=1062cm -1 It is sufficient to pay attention to the positions of these three peaks.

[0103] Furthermore, when considering cementitious materials that are often used in conjunction with steelmaking slag as expansion-causing substances, it is also possible to identify minerals by focusing on substances that are commonly found in cementitious hydration products, such as various minerals not contained in steelmaking slag or hydration products such as CSH (calcium silicate hydrate).

[0104] Since the structure of CSH (calcium silicate hydrate) varies depending on the basicity ([CaO] / [SiO2]) of the original cementitious material, it is not possible to univocally define the peak position to be focused on during identification. Therefore, when focusing on CSH, it is preferable to prepare several patterns of combinations of three peak positions in the database depending on the basicity, etc. As such a combination of peak positions, for example, P1 = 650 cm -1 , P2=1000cm -1, P3=1070m -1 Three peak positions can be listed:

[0105] Furthermore, although the above explanation has mentioned that particles collected from the location where expansion has occurred are the subject of analysis, it is also possible to analyze steelmaking slag before it is processed into products such as roadbed material. In this case, an expansion test simulating an actual laying environment can be conducted using the steelmaking slag of interest before it is processed into the product as a sample, and the particles obtained from this expansion test can be the subject of analysis. The conditions for such an expansion test are not particularly specified, but for example, an expansion test can be conducted by exposing steelmaking slag having a particle size that is often used in products (e.g., a particle size of 5 to 40 mm, etc.) to steam at approximately 100°C for one week.

[0106] In this way, by analyzing steelmaking slag before it is made into various products using the local expansion cause identification device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to understand in advance the causes of local expansion that may occur when the slag is made into a product.

[0107] The above describes an example of the functions of the arithmetic processing unit 20 according to this embodiment. Each of the above components may be configured using general-purpose components and circuits, or may be configured using hardware specialized for the function of each component. Furthermore, the functions of each component may all be performed by a CPU or the like. Therefore, the configuration to be used can be changed as appropriate depending on the technical level at the time of implementing this embodiment.

[0108] It is possible to create a computer program for implementing each function of the arithmetic processing unit according to the present embodiment as described above and install it on a personal computer or the like. It is also possible to provide a computer-readable recording medium on which such a computer program is stored. Examples of the recording medium include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a flash memory. The computer program may also be distributed, for example, via a network without using a recording medium.

[0109] (How to identify the cause of localized expansion) Next, a brief description will be given of a method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment, which is carried out using the device 1 for identifying the cause of local expansion as described above.

[0110] The method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment is a method for identifying the cause of local expansion occurring in steelmaking slag. This method includes a Raman spectroscopic analysis step of performing Raman spectroscopy on a plurality of particles having a particle size of 150 μm or less, collected from a site of local expansion in the steelmaking slag, to obtain a Raman spectrum for each particle, a mineral identification step of identifying a mineral present in each particle based on peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectrum, a counting step of counting the number of identified minerals for each mineral based on the identification results obtained in the mineral identification step, a proportion calculation step of calculating the proportion of the number of counts for each mineral out of the total number of identified minerals based on the counting results obtained in the counting step, which is used to determine the cause of the expansion, and an expansion cause identification step of identifying the cause of the expansion based on whether the proportion calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined criterion.

[0111] An example of the flow of the method for identifying the cause of local expansion will be briefly described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment.

[0112] In the method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment, first, particles in a solid state are collected from the expansion site (step S11), and then particles having a particle size of 150 μm or less are selected (step S13).

[0113] Here, in the method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment, as explained previously, it is determined whether or not to complete the series of processes based on whether or not the total number of identified minerals is equal to or greater than a threshold value (step S15).

[0114] If the total number of identified minerals is less than the threshold value (step S15-NO), the Raman spectroscopic unit 10 performs Raman spectroscopic analysis on each particle (step S17) and outputs the obtained Raman spectroscopic spectrum to the mineral identification unit 211 of the calculation processing unit 20.

[0115] The mineral identification unit 211, which has acquired the Raman spectrum, identifies the minerals present in the particles in accordance with the criteria (A) to (C) described above (step S19). The counting unit 213 also counts the mineral identification results obtained by the mineral identification unit 211 as needed (step S21).

[0116] This series of steps (steps S17 to S21) continues until the total number of identified minerals reaches or exceeds the threshold value.

[0117] On the other hand, if the total number of identified minerals is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S15-YES), the above series of steps (steps S17 to S21) can be stopped at any timing. In this case, the ratio calculation unit 215 refers to the counting result by the counting unit 213, calculates the ratio of the count number for each mineral (step S23), and outputs information on the obtained ratio to the expansion cause identification unit 217.

[0118] The expansion cause identifying unit 217 identifies the expansion cause based on the ratio calculated by the ratio calculating unit 215 and whether or not the ratio satisfies a predetermined standard (step S25).

[0119] By performing processing in this manner, the method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to this embodiment makes it possible to identify the cause of local expansion that has occurred in steelmaking slag, even in cases where the cause of expansion could not be identified in the past.

[0120] (Hardware configuration of the arithmetic processing unit 20) Next, the hardware configuration of the arithmetic processing unit 20 according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the arithmetic processing unit 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0121] The arithmetic processing unit 20 mainly includes a CPU 901, a ROM 903, and a RAM 905. The arithmetic processing unit 20 further includes a bus 907, an input device 909, an output device 911, a storage device 913, a drive 915, a connection port 917, and a communication device 919.

[0122] The CPU 901 functions as a central processing unit and control device, and controls all or part of the operations within the arithmetic processing unit 20 in accordance with various programs recorded in the ROM 903, RAM 905, storage device 913, or removable recording medium 921. The ROM 903 stores programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU 901. The RAM 905 temporarily stores programs used by the CPU 901 and parameters that change as appropriate during program execution. These are interconnected by a bus 907 constituted by an internal bus such as a CPU bus.

[0123] The bus 907 is connected to an external bus such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus via a bridge.

[0124] The input device 909 is an operation means operated by a user, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, switch, or lever. The input device 909 may be, for example, a remote control means (so-called remote control) that uses infrared or other radio waves, or an externally connected device 923 such as a PDA that supports operation of the arithmetic processing unit 20. The input device 909 is further composed of, for example, an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on information input by the user using the above-mentioned operation means and outputs the signal to the CPU 901. A user of the arithmetic processing unit 20 can input various data to the arithmetic processing unit 20 and instruct processing operations by operating the input device 909.

[0125] The output device 911 is configured with a device capable of visually or audibly notifying the user of acquired information. Such devices include display devices such as CRT display devices, liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, EL display devices, and lamps, audio output devices such as speakers and headphones, printers, mobile phones, and facsimiles. The output device 911 outputs, for example, the results obtained by the various processes performed by the arithmetic processing unit 20. Specifically, the display device displays the results obtained by the various processes performed by the arithmetic processing unit 20 as text or images. On the other hand, the audio output device converts audio signals consisting of reproduced voice data, acoustic data, etc. into analog signals and outputs them.

[0126] The storage device 913 is a data storage device configured as an example of a storage unit of the arithmetic processing unit 20. The storage device 913 is configured by, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device. The storage device 913 stores programs and various data executed by the CPU 901, as well as various data acquired from the outside.

[0127] The drive 915 is a reader / writer for a recording medium, and is built into or externally attached to the arithmetic processing unit 20. The drive 915 reads information recorded on a removable recording medium 921, such as an attached magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs the information to the RAM 905. The drive 915 can also write information to a removable recording medium 921, such as an attached magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory. The removable recording medium 921 may be, for example, a CD medium, a DVD medium, or a Blu-ray (registered trademark) medium. The removable recording medium 921 may also be, for example, a CompactFlash (registered trademark) card, a flash memory, or an SD memory card (Secure Digital memory card). The removable recording medium 921 may also be, for example, an IC card (Integrated Circuit card) equipped with a contactless IC chip, or an electronic device.

[0128] The connection port 917 is a port for directly connecting a device to the arithmetic processing unit 20. Examples of the connection port 917 include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, an IEEE1394 port, a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) port, an RS-232C port, and an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port. By connecting an externally connected device 923 to this connection port 917, the arithmetic processing unit 20 can directly obtain various types of data from the externally connected device 923 and provide various types of data to the externally connected device 923.

[0129] The communication device 919 is, for example, a communication interface configured with a communication device or the like for connecting to a communication network 925. The communication device 919 is, for example, a communication card for a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB (Wireless USB). The communication device 919 may also be a router for optical communication, a router for ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), or a modem for various types of communication. This communication device 919 can transmit and receive signals, for example, between the Internet and other communication devices in accordance with a predetermined protocol such as TCP / IP. The communication network 925 connected to the communication device 919 is configured with a network connected by wire or wirelessly, and may be, for example, the Internet, a home LAN, an in-house LAN, infrared communication, radio wave communication, satellite communication, or the like.

[0130] The above describes an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the functions of the arithmetic processing unit 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each of the above components may be configured using general-purpose components, or may be configured using hardware specialized for the function of each component. Therefore, the hardware configuration used can be changed as appropriate depending on the technical level at the time of implementing this embodiment. [Example]

[0131] The local expansion cause identifying device and the local expansion cause identifying method according to the present embodiment will be described below with specific examples. Note that the analysis results shown below are merely examples of the local expansion cause identifying device and the local expansion cause identifying method according to the present embodiment, and the local expansion cause identifying device and the local expansion cause identifying method according to the present embodiment are not limited to the examples below.

[0132] In the two analysis examples shown below, a local expansion cause identification device was used, configured using a Malvern Panalytical Morphologi 4-ID particle size distribution analyzer with micro-Raman spectroscopy capabilities, as the Raman spectrometer in the Raman spectrometer section 10. This was used to analyze two types of steelmaking slag whose causes could not be identified through conventional analysis (composition analysis by XRF, mineral phase analysis by XRD). The particle size distribution analyzer settings were as described above.

[0133] In this analysis example, the same analysis was also performed on particles collected from non-expanded areas, and the results were compared.

[0134] Figure 9 shows the analysis results for one of the steelmaking slags. As is clear from Figure 9, Ca(OH)2 was specifically detected at a rate of 5% or more in the particles collected from the expanded area, and it was determined that the cause of the expansion was CaO. Furthermore, CaCO3 was also detected at a rate of 50% or more in the steelmaking slag, and these results also led to the determination that the cause of the expansion was CaO.

[0135] On the other hand, in the results for non-expansion particles, none of the minerals used to determine the cause of expansion were detected at the specified number ratio. Therefore, by using the method according to this embodiment, it was possible to identify the cause of expansion caused by local factors present in the steelmaking slag.

[0136] Figure 10 shows the analytical results for the other steelmaking slag. As is clear from FIG. 10, Mg(OH)2 was specifically detected at a rate of 5% or more in the particles collected from the expanded area, and it was determined that the cause of the expansion was MgO.

[0137] On the other hand, in the results for non-expansion particles, none of the minerals used to determine the cause of expansion were detected at the specified number ratio. Therefore, by using the method according to this embodiment, it was possible to identify the cause of expansion caused by local factors present in the steelmaking slag.

[0138] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0139] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims, the technical scope of the present invention as described below, and the spirit thereof. For example, the components of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined within the scope that does not impair the effects of the components. Furthermore, such an arbitrary combination naturally provides the functions and effects of each of the components involved in the combination, and also provides other functions and effects that are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification.

[0140] Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present invention may achieve other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification, in addition to or in place of the above-described effects.

[0141] The following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) A local expansion cause identification device that identifies the cause of local expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, a Raman spectroscopic unit having a Raman spectroscopic device, which performs Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of particles in a formed state having a particle size of 150 μm or less collected from a site where local expansion of the steelmaking slag has occurred, and obtains a Raman spectroscopic spectrum for each of the particles; a mineral identification unit that identifies the mineral present in each of the particles based on the peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectrum; a counting unit that counts the number of identification results identified for each mineral based on the identification results by the mineral identification unit; a ratio calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the count number of each of the minerals to the total number of identification results used to determine the cause of expansion based on the counting results by the counting unit; an expansion cause identification unit that identifies a cause of expansion based on whether the ratio calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined standard; A local expansion cause identification device having the above. (2) The mineral identification unit detects a region in the Raman spectrum between 100 and 2000 cm -1 The device for identifying the cause of local expansion described in (1) narrows down the minerals present in the particle of interest to one based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range. (3) The mineral identification unit If the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from the same mineral, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the corresponding mineral; When the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, and if this is the first time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the counting result by the counting unit is referenced, and the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the mineral with the lowest count at that time; and if this is the second or subsequent time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of a mineral different from the previous one. The local expansion cause identification device described in (2), wherein if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from three different minerals, the Raman spectroscopy spectrum of interest is identified as that of an unknown mineral. (4) The causes of the expansion include CaO and MgO contained in the steelmaking slag, The expansion cause identification unit Identifying CaO as the cause of the expansion when the ratio of the mineral Ca(OH)2, which is a reaction product of the CaO, is 5% or more, when the ratio of the mineral CaCO3, which is a reaction product of the CaO, is 50% or more, or when the ratio of the mineral Ca(OH)2 is 5% or more and the ratio of the mineral CaCO3 is 50% or more, The local expansion cause identification device according to any one of (1) to (3), which identifies MgO as the cause of the expansion when the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 5% or more, when the proportion of the mineral MgCO3, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 50% or more, or when the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of the mineral MgCO3 is 50% or more. (5) The local expansion cause identification device described in any one of (1) to (4), wherein the mineral identification unit continues to identify the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectra for the plurality of particles until the total number of identified minerals reaches at least 50. (6) A method for identifying the cause of local expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, comprising: a Raman spectroscopic step of performing Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of particles in a formed state having a particle size of 150 μm or less collected from a site where local expansion of the steelmaking slag has occurred, to obtain a Raman spectroscopic spectrum for each of the particles; a mineral identification step of identifying the minerals present in each of the particles based on the peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectrum; a counting step of counting the number of identification results identified for each mineral based on the identification results in the mineral identification step; a ratio calculation step of calculating the ratio of the count number of each of the minerals to the total number of identification results, which is used to determine the cause of the expansion, based on the count results from the counting step; an expansion cause identification step of identifying the cause of the expansion based on whether the ratio calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined standard; A method for identifying the cause of local expansion, comprising: (7) In the mineral identification step, the Raman spectrum is -1 The method for identifying the cause of local expansion described in (6), wherein the minerals present in the particle of interest are narrowed down to one based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range. (8) In the mineral identification step, If the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from the same mineral, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the corresponding mineral; When the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, and if this is the first time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the counting result from the counting step is referenced, and the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the mineral with the lowest count at that time; and if this is the second or subsequent time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of a mineral different from the previous one; A method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to (7), wherein, if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from three different minerals, the Raman spectroscopy spectrum of interest is identified as that of an unknown mineral. (9) The causes of the expansion include CaO and MgO contained in the steelmaking slag, In the expansion cause identification step, Identifying CaO as the cause of the expansion when the ratio of the mineral Ca(OH)2, which is a reaction product of the CaO, is 5% or more, when the ratio of the mineral CaCO3, which is a reaction product of the CaO, is 50% or more, or when the ratio of the mineral Ca(OH)2 is 5% or more and the ratio of the mineral CaCO3 is 50% or more, The method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to any one of (6) to (8), wherein MgO is identified as the cause of the expansion when the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 5% or more, when the proportion of the mineral MgCO3, which is a reactant of the MgO, is 50% or more, or when the proportion of the mineral Mg(OH)2 is 5% or more and the proportion of the mineral MgCO3 is 50% or more. (10) A method for identifying the cause of local expansion described in any one of (6) to (9), wherein in the mineral identification process, the Raman spectroscopy spectra obtained are identified for the plurality of particles until the total number of identified minerals reaches at least 50. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1. Local expansion cause identification device 10 Raman Spectroscopy Section 20 Processing unit 201 Measurement control section 203 Analysis Processing Unit 205 Display control unit 207 Memory section 211 Mineral Identification Department 213 Counting Department 215 Percentage Calculation Section 217 Expansion Cause Identification Section

Claims

1. A local expansion cause identification device that identifies the cause of local expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, a Raman spectroscopic unit having a Raman spectroscopic device, which performs Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of particles in a formed state having a particle size of 150 μm or less collected from a site where local expansion of the steelmaking slag has occurred, and obtains a Raman spectroscopic spectrum for each of the particles; a mineral identification unit that identifies the mineral present in each of the particles based on the peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectrum; a counting unit that counts the number of identification results identified for each mineral based on the identification results by the mineral identification unit; a ratio calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the count number of each of the minerals to the total number of identification results used to determine the cause of expansion based on the counting results by the counting unit; an expansion cause identification unit that identifies a cause of expansion based on whether the ratio calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined standard; A local expansion cause identification device having the above.

2. The mineral identification unit detects a region between 100 and 2000 cm in the Raman spectrum. －１ The local expansion cause identification device according to claim 1, wherein the minerals present in the particle of interest are narrowed down to one based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range.

3. The mineral identification unit If the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from the same mineral, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the corresponding mineral; When the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, and if this is the first time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the counting result by the counting unit is referenced, and the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the mineral with the lowest count at that time; and if this is the second or subsequent time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of a mineral different from the previous one. The local expansion cause identification device according to claim 2, wherein if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from three different minerals, the Raman spectroscopy spectrum of interest is identified as that of an unknown mineral.

4. The causes of the expansion include CaO and MgO contained in the steelmaking slag, The expansion cause identification unit The mineral Ca(OH) which is a reaction product of the CaO ２ When the ratio of is 5% or more, the mineral CaCO ３ When the ratio of the mineral Ca(OH) is 50% or more, ２ The ratio of the mineral CaCO is 5% or more. ３ If the ratio is 50% or more, CaO is identified as the cause of the expansion, The mineral Mg(OH) which is a reactant of the MgO ２ When the ratio of is 5% or more, the mineral MgCO ３ When the ratio of the mineral Mg(OH) is 50% or more, ２ is 5% or more, and the mineral MgCO ３ 4. The device for identifying the cause of local expansion according to claim 3, wherein MgO is identified as the cause of expansion when the ratio of MgO to MgO is 50% or more.

5. The local expansion cause identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the mineral identification unit continues to identify the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectra for the plurality of particles until a total number of identified minerals reaches at least 50.

6. A method for identifying the cause of local expansion that occurs in steelmaking slag, comprising: a Raman spectroscopic step of performing Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of particles in a formed state having a particle size of 150 μm or less collected from a site where local expansion of the steelmaking slag has occurred, to obtain a Raman spectroscopic spectrum for each of the particles; a mineral identification step of identifying the minerals present in each of the particles based on the peak detection results in the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectrum; a counting step of counting the number of identification results identified for each mineral based on the identification results in the mineral identification step; a ratio calculation step of calculating the ratio of the count number of each of the minerals to the total number of identification results, which is used to determine the cause of the expansion, based on the count results from the counting step; an expansion cause identification step of identifying the cause of the expansion based on whether the ratio calculated for each mineral satisfies a predetermined standard; A method for identifying the cause of local expansion, comprising:

7. In the mineral identification step, the Raman spectrum is －１ The method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to claim 6, wherein the minerals present in the particle of interest are narrowed down to one based on the peak positions of up to three peaks in descending order of peak intensity present in the range.

8. In the mineral identification step, If the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from the same mineral, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the corresponding mineral; When the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from two different minerals, mineral A and mineral B, and if this is the first time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the counting result from the counting step is referenced, and the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of the mineral with the lowest count at that time; and if this is the second or subsequent time that mineral A and mineral B have been combined, the Raman spectrum of interest is identified as that of a mineral different from the previous one. The method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to claim 7, wherein if the maximum three peaks are a combination of peaks derived from three different minerals, the Raman spectroscopy spectrum of interest is identified as that of an unknown mineral.

9. The causes of the expansion include CaO and MgO contained in the steelmaking slag, In the expansion cause identification step, The mineral Ca(OH) which is a reaction product of the CaO ２ When the ratio of is 5% or more, the mineral CaCO ３ When the ratio of the mineral Ca(OH) is 50% or more, ２ The ratio of the mineral CaCO is 5% or more. ３ If the ratio is 50% or more, CaO is identified as the cause of the expansion, The mineral Mg(OH) which is a reactant of the MgO ２ When the ratio of is 5% or more, the mineral MgCO ３ When the ratio of the mineral Mg(OH) is 50% or more, ２ is 5% or more, and the mineral MgCO ３ 9. The method for identifying the cause of local expansion according to claim 8, wherein MgO is identified as the cause of the expansion when the ratio of MgO to MgO is 50% or more.

10. The method for identifying the cause of local expansion described in claim 6, wherein in the mineral identification step, the identification of the obtained Raman spectroscopy spectra is carried out for the plurality of particles until a total number of identified minerals reaches at least 50.

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