The impact of rare earth treatment on the chemical morphology evolution of non-metallic inclusions in bearing steel under different initial cleanliness conditions was studied through simulation. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that at an oxygen content of 0.001%, the evolution route of inclusions with increasing Ce content was Al₂O₃ → CeAl₁₁O₁₈ + CeAlO₃ → CeAlO₃ + Ce₂O₂S → Ce₂O₂S → Ce₂O₂S + CeS. As the initial oxygen content decreases, the proportion of CeAlO₃ decreases, leading to easier conversion of CeAlO₃ to Ce₂O₂S. Vacuum induction furnace experiments demonstrated that with an oxygen content of 0.001%, an increase in Ce content results in a gradual rise in the proportion of inclusions in steel sized 1~2 μm. In contrast, the proportion of inclusions sized 2~5 μm decreases. Consequently, the overall content of inclusions in steel decreases, along with a reduction in both the number density and average size of inclusions. Introducing bearing steel melt with approximately 0.01% Ce rare earth to bearing steel with initial oxygen contents of 0.0005%, 0.001%, and 0.0015% showed an evolution of inclusions from Ce₂O₂S and CeS to Ce₂O₃, CeAlO₃, etc. The average inclusion size significantly increased from 0.7 μm to 2.16 μm. Morphologically, the transition of inclusions from precipitated to polymerized forms occurred as the initial oxygen content rose. High-temperature laser confocal microscopy experiments demonstrated that inclusions in low cleanliness conditions tend to agglomerate more than those in high cleanliness conditions, contributing to the increase in average size.

Due to the strong reducibility and chemical activity of rare earths, the diffusion behavior and secondary oxidation of rare earths in the steel liquid will also have a significant impact on the modified products when rare earths are added to bearing steel, resulting in poor control of distribution behavior. Therefore, this paper studies the influence of time factors on the evolution of rare earth inclusions. The inclusion evolution behavior at different times when the bearing steel was treated with rare earths and subjected to secondary oxidation was simulated at 1873 K (1600 °C). At a cerium content of 0.012% in steel and a secondary oxidation of 0.0025%, the cerium content in steel and the total oxygen (T.O.) content in steel were determined at the 30 s, 3 min, 5 min, and 7 min after the addition and the inclusions were characterized by automatic scanning electron microscopy. The results demonstrated the formation of a cerium-enriched zone after the addition of the cerium alloy to the steel. As time progressed, a considerable number of inclusions were generated in the cerium-enriched zone, which subsequently disappeared. The trend in the composition of the inclusions can be described as Al₂O₃ → Ce₂O₂S + CeS → Ce₂O₂S. The final composition of the inclusions matches the thermodynamic phase diagram. Following the addition of the transient oxidant Fe₂O₃ to the molten steel, an oxygen-enriched zone was formed. As time progressed, a considerable number of inclusions were generated in the oxygen-enriched zone and subsequently disappeared. The trend of inclusions composition was as follows: Ce₂O₃ + CeAlO₃ + Al₂O₃ → Ce₂O₃ + CeAlO₃ → Ce₂O₂S + CeAlO₃. The final inclusion composition coincides with the thermodynamic phase diagram.