Dynamic Soft Reduction for Continuously Cast Rail Bloom

Center porosity and centerline segregation in continuously cast bloom can be minimized by the well-known method of dynamic soft reduction. Metallurgical results of soft reduction previously employed in continuous bloom casting for heavy rail steel in Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group were not fully achieved because of the improper soft reduction process. Therefore, experiments for optimizing the process parameters of soft reduction for bloom were carried out. The results show that the proportion of the center porosity, which is less than 1.0, increases from 28.41% to 99.81%, while the proportion of the centerline segregation class increases from 40.91% to 100%, and the proportion of the central cavity increases from 92.05% to 100%, whereas the center carbon segregation index decreases from 1.17 to 1.05. The internal quality and the mechanical performance of the rails produced from continuously cast blooms meet the requirement of high-speed tracks of 350 km/h.

SMART/ASTC dynamic soft reduction technology and its application on the bloom continuous caster at Pangang

The SMART/ASTC dynamic soft reduction technology of VAI and its application on the 6-strand bloom continuous caster at Pangang, China are presented. The operation results show that soft reduction technology is effective to improve the inner quality of continuously cast blooms. At Pangang, both the central porosity and the central segregation ratings are no more than 1.0, the central shrinkage cavity rating is no more than 0.5, and the central segregation index of carbon is no more than 1.05. Rails made from the blooms have excellent quality and are used for high-speed tracks.

Optimization of strand and final electromagnetic stirrers of round bloom casters with multiple sections

Strand electromagnetic stirring（S-EMS） and final electromagnetic stirring（F-EMS） are the main methods used to improve the center porosity and segregation for round blooms. To optimize the stirring conditions, nail shooting tests were conducted for three sections of large round blooms with diameters of ф380 mm, ф450 mm, and ф600 mm. Acid leaching and sulfur print tests were used to investigate the shell thickness. Based on the results of nail shooting tests, a mathematical model of solidification was established, and the variation of shell thickness and the central solid fraction were exactly calculated by the model. By taking all sections into account, the locations of S-EMS and F-EMS were optimized for each section. In the results, the macro-segregation of various sections is improved after the locations of S-EMS and F-EMS systems are changed.

Thermo-elasto-visco-plastic finite element analysis on formation and propagation of off-corner subsurface cracks in bloom continuous casting

The formation and propagation of the popular off-corner subsurface cracks in bloom continuous casting were investigated through thermo-mechanical analysis using three coupled thermo-mechanical models. A two-dimensional thermo-elasto-visco-plastic finite element model was developed to predict the mould gap evolution, temperature profiles and deformation behavior of the solidified shell in the mould region. Then, a three-dimensional model was adopted to calculate the shell growth, tempera- ture history and the development of stresses and strains of the shell in the following secondary cooling zones. Finally, another three-dimensional model was used to analyze the stress distributions in the straightening region, The results showed that the off-corner cracks in the shell originated from the mould owing to the tensile strain developed in the crack sensitive regions of the solidification front, and they could be driven deeper by the possible severe surface temperature rebound and the extensive tensile stress in the secondary cooling zone, especially upon the straightening operation of the bloom casting. It is revealed that more homogenous shell temperature and thickness can be obtained through optimization of mould corner radius, casting speed and secondary cooling scheme, which help to decrease stress and strain concentration and therefore prevent the initiation of the cracks.

Dynamic Soft Reduction Technology for Bloom Casting

The dynamic soft reduction technology for 360 mm×450 mm bloom casting and its application results at Panzhihua Iron and Steel Co （PISCO） were presented. In order to analyze the influence of the soft reduction on internal defects of bloom, such as center porosity and central segregation, experiment for contrasting process with or without soft reduction for bloom was conducted. The operation shows that after applying the soft reduction of alloy steel 45CrMnMo bloom, the ratio of center porosity whose defect level is less than or equal to 1.0 increased from 66.67% to 85.71%, ratio of central segregation whose defect level is below 1.0 increased from 94.44% to 100%, ratio of central shrinkage cavity which is free increased from 88.89% to 96.42%, and central segregation index of carbon decreased from mean value of 1.15 to 1.05.

Control Model of Bloom Dynamic Soft Reduction

There are significant effects of process parameters on internal qualities of bloom, and these process parameters are as follows. position and reduction amount, reduction distribution, reduction rate, and so on. Developing a control model is the key to apply soft reduction technology successfully. As the research object, 360 mm ×450 mm bloom caster in PISCO （Panzhihua Iron and Steel Co. ） has been studied, and the research method for control model of dynamic soft reduction has been proposed. On the basis of solidification and heat transfer model, the position of soft reduction and reduction distribution of each frame are determined according to the bloom temperature distribution and solid fraction in bloom center calculated. Production practice shows that the ratio of center porosity which is less than or equal to 1.0, increased to 97.27%, ratio of central segregation which is less than or equal to 0.5, increased to 80.91%, and ratio of central carbon segregation index which is more than or equal to 1.10, decreased to 4% with the applying model of dynamic soft reduction.

Development of Ultra-Low Oxygen Automobile Gear Steel

In view of process conditions of Vanadium Recovery and Steelmaking Plant, PanGang Group Panzhihua steel and Vanadium Co.,Ltd., and on the basis of making choice of a reasonable deoxidization process, some measures have been taken to the development of automobile gear steel (20CrMoH) such as the pre-refining technology during converter tapping, "white slag" refining in LF, RH Vacuum treatment, and even protective casting technology. Also different and suitable models of argon blowing from bottom of ladle were adopted in the platform after converter, LF refining and calcium treatment. Test results show that the high cleanness 20CrMoH gear steel slab with T[O] ≤15×10-6(The average T[O] is 11.8×10-6) could be obtained through all these measures.