Modeling and control of dynamic soft reduction in continuous slab casting

The centerline segregation in continuous casting steel is known to be formed by the interdendritic enriched liquid flow at the solidification end in strand.At present,several methods,such as thermal soft reduction, electromagnetic stirring and dynamic soft reduction,are available to reduce the center segregation and to improve the internal quality.Although some methods could alleviate center segregation to some extent,they can also give rise to new problems.For instance,thermal soft reduction can lead to surface cracking during casting of some steels and electromagnetic stirring can result in white band.Dynamic soft reduction is an effective technology for the improvement of strand quality in continuous slab casting.In this paper,the key parameters of dynamic soft reduction technology,such as soft reduction region,the total reduction amount,for low carbon steel have been studied based on experimental and theoretical analysis.The soft reduction region was related to the segregation of chemical composition,slab bulging of narrow side and avoiding internal crack of slab.The total reduction amount was composed of natural thermal shrinkage and actual reduction amount depending on critical strain.For low carbon steel with slab dimension of(950 - 1 950) mm×170 mm,the solid fraction range in soft reduction region was recommended from 0.4 to 0.8,the total reduction amount was 2.0 -2.8 mm,and the optimized reduction rate was 0.4 - 1.2 mm/min,respectively.Furthermore,a dynamic soft reduction system in continuous slab casting, Visual Cast-Dynamic,has been developed by multithreading method.It demonstrated that the dynamic soft reduction model in this study was correct with the ability of online control.

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.

Improvement of center segregation in high-carbon steel billets using soft reduction

Center segregation is the main reason for cup fracture of high-carbon wire rod during drawing. Therefore, to continuously produce cast billets with very low center segregation is an important objective. The soft reduction technology is considered to be an effective method to minimize center segregation. To elucidate the effect of soft reduction on the internal quality of high-carbon steel billets, soft reduction was applied with different solid fractions in the core area of billets in a laboratory casting machine. A coupled temperature/displacement finite element model was developed to calculate the solid fraction using the commercial software ABAQUS. Center segregation, center porosity, homogeneity of elements, and equiaxed crystal zone were obviously improved by applying soft reduction, especially when the solid fraction was less than 1.0. The optimal results were obtained when the solid fraction was approximately 0.9.

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.

Formation of internal cracks during soft reduction in rectangular bloom continuous casting

To investigate the formation of internal cracks in GCrl 5 bearing steels during the soft reduction process in rectangular bloom con- tinuous casting, fully coupled thermomechanieal finite element models were developed using the commercial software MSC.MARC, and microstructures and fractographs were also observed. With the finite element models, the contours of temperature, equivalent plastic strain, and equivalent vun Mises stress were simulated. It is observed that the fracture surfaces of internal cracks are covered by cleavage or quasi-cleavage facets. The region of internal cracks in the intergranular brittle fracture mode is in the mushy zone between the zero ductility temperature （ZDT） and the zero strength temperature （ZST）. The simulated equivalent plastic strain in the crack region is 2.34%-2.45%, which is larger than the critical strain （0.4%-1.5%）, and the equivalent von Mises stress is 1.84-5.05 MPa, which is within the range of criti- cal stress （3.9-7.2 MPa）, thus resulting in the occurrence of internal cracks. Reducing the soft reduction amount from 3 to 2 mm can lower the stress under the critical value.

Formation of internal cracks in steel billets during soft reduction

To investigate the formation of internal cracks in steel billets during soft reduction, fully coupled thermo-mechanical finite element models were developed using the commercial software ABAQUS, also casting and soft reduction tests were carried out in a laboratory strand casting machine. With the finite element models, the temperature distribution, the stress and strain states in the billet were calculated. The relation between internal cracks and equivalent plastic strain, as well as maximal principal stress was analyzed. The results indicate that tensile stresses can develop in the mushy zone during soft reduction and the equivalent strain nearby the zero ductility temperature （ZDT） increases with decreasing solid fraction. Internal cracks can be initiated when the accumulated strain exceeds the critical strain or the applied tensile stress exceeds the critical fracture stress during solidification.

Study on inner defects of continuously-cast blooms and soft reduction process

At the initial operation stage of the continuous bloom caster at Baosteel, a lot of central porosity and cracks occurred in blooms, especially in the blooms of high-pressure boiler steel. In this study, a model of heat transfer and solidification was set up to analyze the process of continuous bloom casting. Based on the model, the distributions of temperature field and shell thickness were obtained, the mushy zone was defined, and thereby the technology of soft reduction for blooms was developed. After several tests were conducted, a reasonable test plan was developed, which led to the determination of the optimal reduction zone and gauge reduction. Now, central porosity and cracks in blooms are almost avoided and the inner quality has been obviously improved.

Application of soft reduction technique to continuous-casting billets

Soft reduction technique can decrease the presence of central porosity andcenterline segregation, and thus to enhance the internal quality effectively. In order to producehigh quality billets, Xinxing Ductile Cast Pipe Group Co. Ltd. of China has installed a set of softreduction apparatus on No. 1 caster and has achieved a great success. The principle, operatingconditions and controlling factors, and the specification of soft reduction for solidifying billetsare introduced. In order to make the effectiveness of soft reduction clear, metallurgical evaluationis made. The results indicate that soft reduction can increase equiaxial zone by 3 percent.

Model control technologies of dynamic secondary cooling and soft reduction for slab continuous casting

Dynamic model control technologies of secondary cooling and soft reduction of Baosteel are introduced. Model principle and control system architecture are summarized, as well as functions and features. Finally, applications of model technologies are discussed. The self-developed dynamic secondary cooling model and the dynamic soft reduction model have been applied on several casting machines inside and outside Baosteel, desired control effects were achieved with good stability and reliability. Temperature measurement results verified the correctness of model.

Propagation form of internal cracks induced by continuous casting soft reduction and control strategy for internal quality

The propagation form of internal cracks induced by continuous casting soft reduction and the control strategy for enhancing the internal quality of 45 steel through industrial trials and a three-dimensional flow-heat transfer-solidification coupling model were investigated.The results showed that the internal cracks induced by soft reduction exhibited a characteristic of being"coarse in the middle and fine at both ends",and displayed an elliptical arc distribution on the loose side of the strand cross section.The cracks originated within the brittle temperature range and propagated inward to the liquid impenetrable temperature and outward to the zero ductility temperature or below.The control strategy for enhancing the internal quality of the 45 steel strand through soft reduction is to adjust the casting speed or the reduction zone appropriately,ensuring that the central solid fraction of the reduction zone falls within the range of 0.33-0.99.At this point,a reasonable reduction amount is allocated to eliminate the center shrinkage cavities and center segregation,even if it results in minor reduction-induced cracks.

Comparison and integration of final electromagnetic stirring and thermal soft reduction on continuous casting billet

Final electromagnetic stirring(F-EMS)and thermal soft reduction(TSR)are techniques that improve the inner quality of continuous casting billets,but they have rarely been applied simultaneously.The application effects of F-EMS and TSR were compared,and a process integrating F-EMS and TSR was adopted for a billet continuous caster.A heat transfer model was established to calculate the thermal behavior of 82A tire cord steel billet.The locations of F-EMS and TSR were determined,followed by conducting a series of plant trials,involving F-EMS alone,TSR alone,and the integrated process of F-EMS and TSR.The results showed that F-EMS or TSR could effectively improve the inner quality of the billet under their respective suitable working conditions.Moreover,F-EMS was found to be more helpful in terms of improving central segregation,while TSR tended to improve V-segregation,central porosity,and pipe.The integration of F-EMS and TSR allowed the advantages of each technique to be utilized,thereby better improving the inner quality.Among all the working conditions,82A steel billet showed optimum inner quality when the current of F-EMS was 240 A and the cooling intensity of TSR was 2.2 m^(3) h^(−1).These findings demonstrate that the integration of F-EMS and TSR is promising for application on continuous casting billets.

Effect of Asynchronous Adjustments of Clamping Cylinders on Triangular Crack of Slab Castings Under Application of Soft Reduction

Soft reduction is known to be one of the best ways to improve the internal quality of slab castings such as center segregation, center porosity, centerline or triangular zone cracks, which is based on a proper adoption of the amount of reduction upon the given final solidification zone through roll gap adjustments. The synchronization of the clamping cylinders for roll gap adjustments should be very important to the application of soft reduction, including the synchronization of the clamping cylinders adjustments in the same and different segments. The synchronization of clamping cylinders adjustments is mainly affected by the adjustable accuracy of the four position-controlled clamping cylinders mounted in the upper frames of the segments according to a predetermined transformation relationship between the signals of displacement sensors and aimed roll gap, which, however, is also influenced by the installation accuracy, the precision of displacement sensors, the deformation of the segment frames and/or its bearing pedestals. Due to the actual asynchronous adjustments of the four clamping cylinders, the dynamic soft reduction operation is normally applied at non-ideal mechanical conditions. Here 7 possible situations of asynchronous adjustments of the local segments which may induce gap deviation have been presented. The roll gap deviation in the soft reduction region of a slab casting has been studied by a 3-D visco-elastic plastic FEM model, through which the additional inter-roll bulging, the related triangular cracks induced by one kind of the possible asynchronous adjustment situation and the effectiveness of soft reduction have been analyzed. A critical tolerance for the gap adjustments has been proposed for better contribution of soft reduction to the internal quality of slabs.

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.

Effect of soft reduction process on segregation of a 400 mm thick high-alloy steel slab

During the solidification of high-alloy steel(0.4C–1.5Mn–2Cr–0.35Mo–1.5Ni),the high temperature gradient of solidified shell as well as the columnar crystal development would contribute to the centre segregation and cracking due to the high carbon and alloy contents.The effect of soft reduction process on the segregation of a 400 mm thick high-alloy steel slab was analysed.Industrial trials in a steel mill were performed combining with segregation analysis.The inner quality of the high-alloy steel slab produced through the optimised soft reduction procedures and had a significant improvement in centre segregation.The reduction amount is increased from 20%of solid phase fraction,to avoid the segregation due to the long liquid core,and the reduction rate is deceased from 1.35 to 0.88 mm/m as well.This operation would contribute to the symmetrical distribution of solute element and decrease the segregation to avoid the cracking.An obvious improvement in centre segregation to mainly 1.0 class of high-alloy slab after procedure optimization was achieved.The quality improvement of slab would ensure the quality of downstream forging.

Technical improvements of Baosteel EAF bloom caster production line

This paper presents the improvements on equipment and process technologies of Baosteel EAF Bloom Caster Production Line.By using the new VOD equipment,super low carbon super 13Cr was successfully made;By applying and developing the Soft Reduction technology,very good results were achieved on high quality steel grades such as tire cord steel,bear steel,hi-alloy steel;the ladle Anti-Slag Detector is normally applied,based on the detail analysis during the performance test period,the Detector gives out slag entrapment alarms 7-9 s average before slag flows into tundish.By optimizing production control points of each key process,great achievements are realized on high quality steel grades such as tire cord steel,bear steel,hi-alloy steel and hi-S/Al steel,etc.Some achievements and technical indices are presented,too.