Strain in solidifying shell of continuous casting slabs

Two-dimension unsteady heat transfer model was applied to obtain the surfacetemperature and the shell thickness of continuous casting slabs during the process ofsolidification. On the basis of which, the mathematical model of strain at the interface of solidand liquid steel was set up. Through which, the strain in the solidifying shell under normal andabnormal operation conditions was gained. The results indicate that the strain is small under thenormal operation conditions and the internal crack never happens. However, when the variation of theroll gap is above 2 mm, the strain caused by which is greater than that caused by bulging.Furthermore, the total strain exceeds the critical one and the internal crack is the result. So itis of great importance to maintain the fine state of continuous casting machine to avoid theappearance of internal crack.

Effects of the width and thickness of slabs on broadening in continuous casting

A 3D viscoelastic-plastic thermal-mechanical coupled finite element model was built on the basis of the secondary development of the commercial software MSC.Marc. Numerical simulations were performed to study slab broadening in the secondary cooling zone. The effects of slab width and thickness on slab broadening were considered. The obtained results reveal that the width broadening is noticeable, and the ratio of ultimate broadening slightly increases with the increase of slab width. This agrees well with the measured data in practice. There is no obvious increase in ultimate broadening when the thickness of slabs increases.

Technological Investigation on the Continuous Casting of Mid-Width Thin Slabs

Continuous casting of thin slabs is a key state project for 7th and sth five -year plans. On thebasis of foundamental works , CISRI condueted the tests of 102 heats in Lanzhou Steel Works in the periodof January 1991- June 1992. Three slab assortments of 50× 900 mm . 70 × 900 mm , 70 × 500 mm were ex-amined. In June of 1992, 412 t steel of 46 heats were cast with the efficiency of 91. 3 %. This. result meetsthe requiremeni of the state in this period. The mould, hedt transfer . casting technology and factors influ-encing slab’s qualities are investigated as well.

A Model for Diagnosing the Formation of Internal Cracks in Continuously CastSlabs

The internal cracks in continuously cast slabs are attributed to the excessive tensile strain occurring at the solidifying frontduring the continuous casting process. Based on the understanding, a model for diagnosing the formation of the internal cracks was established, in which the strains at the solidifying front caused by' bulging, straightening or unbending, and roll misalignment were calculated and compared with a critical strain value to estimate whether the internal cracks form. Moreover, the established model was appliedto a real slab caster to reveal the distribution of the strains in casting direction and its effect on the internal cracks. It was proved that themodel was reliable and useful for optimizing the operation of continuous casting.

Evaluation of the performance of mold powder for continuous casting of plate slabs

The No. 3 slab caster,which mainly provides slabs to the 5000 mm plate mill at Baosteel, was put into production in December,2004. The size of the biggest slab produced by this caster is 2300 mm in width and 300 mm in thickness. The designed output of the caster is 2.3 Mt/a. Slab surface longitudinal crack defects,which were related to the heat flux of the mold, frequently occurred in the early stage of the startup of the caster. As mild cooling powder is beneficial to the uniformity of the shell of initial slabs ,the concentration of stress is reduced, and the longitudinal cracking on the surface is avoided. This study evaluates the performance of several kinds of powder, and the results show that mold powder of high basicity, high crystallization proportion and low heat flux is to the benefit of the reduction of the longitudinal cracks on the surface and the defects of slabs.

Research on the trajectory of non-metal inclusions with the flow in the mold during the solidification of continuous casting slabs

By means of the numerical simulation method,the mathematical model of inclusions movement in the mold is established under the condition of austenitic and fen-itic stainless steel slab production. According to the simulation results, the main zones for inclusion particles accumulation were found and many factors that affected floating-up probability of inclusion particles were identified. These factors include the inclusion particle size, the casting speed and the slab width, etc. It is believed that the inclusion particle size is the key one among these factors.

The optimization of mold fluxes used for casting the peritectic steel of heavy slabs at Baosteel

In order to solve the problem of the high surface longitudinal crack ratio of heavy peritectic steel slabs produced by the No. 3 continuous caster at Baosteel,the physical properties of the original mold flux and the optimized mold flux were compared in a comprehensive way by using analytical measures, such as a slag film heat-flow simulator, a thermowire molten flux crystallization tester and an X-ray diffractometer in the laboratory. The results reveal that one of the major reasons for the cracks is the poor heat transfer ability of the original mold flux. However, the optimized mold flux with a high basicity features a high crystallizing rate,low crystallization temperature and low heat-flow density. Therefore, the optimized mold flux is more suitable for casting peritectic steel by the heavy slab continuous caster. The test results show that the slabs produced by using the optimized mold flux had no surface longitudinal crack in four test casts, while the surface longitudinal crack ratio of the slabs produced by using the original mold flux was 5%. The optimized mold flux can effectively prevent slab surface longitudinal cracks from occurring.

Effects of temperature on fracture behavior of Al-based in-situ composites reinforced with Mg_2Si and Si particles fabricated by centrifugal casting

An aluminum-based in-situ composites reinforced with Mg2Si and Si particles were produced by centrifugal casting A1-20Si-5Mg alloy. The microstructure of the composites was examined, and the effects of temperature on fracture behavior of the composite were investigated. The results show that the average fraction of primary Si and Mg2Si particles in the composites is as high as 38%, and ultimate tensile strengths （UTS） of the composites first increase then decrease with the increase of test temperature. Microstructures of broken specimens show that both the particle fracture and the interface debonding affect the fracture behavior of the composites, and the interface debonding becomes the dominant fracture mechanism with increasing test temperature. Comparative results indicate that rich particles in the composites and excellent interface strength play great roles in enhancing tensile property by preventing the movement of dislocations.

Solidification of horizontally continuous casting of super-thin slab in stable magnetic field and alternating current

The solidified structures of horizontally continuous casting（HCC） of super-thin slab and its relations with the current were studied under the electromagnetic vibration（EMV）.The results show that,under the action of the periodical forces from EMV,the solidified structures of the super-thin slab of pure tin is greatly refined,and the extent of grain refinement is increased with the magnitude of alternating current.For the Sn-10%Pb alloy,it is shown that the EMV promotes the growth of equiaxed grains in the center of super-thin slab,and the grains are refined with the alternating current increasing.This is useful to prevent some solidification defects in the horizontally continuous casting of super-thin slab,such as columnar grains butting,porosity,inclusions and gases gathering,and composition segregation in the centre of slab.

Morphology and Precipitation Kinetics of MnS in Low-Carbon Steel During Thin Slab Continuous Casting Process

The morphology of manganese sulfide formed during thin slab continuous casting process in low-carbon steel produced by compact strip production （CSP） technique was investigated. Using transmission electron microscopy analysis, it was seen that a majority of manganese sulfides precipitated at austenite grain boundaries, the morphologies of which were spherical or close to the spherical shape and the size of MnS precipitates ranged from 30 nm to 100 nm. A mathematical model of the manganese sulfide precipitation in this process was developed based on classical nucleation theory. Under the given conditions, the starting and finishing precipitation temperatures of MnS in the continuous casting thin slab of the studied low-carbon steel are 1 189 ℃ and 1 171 ℃, respectively, and the average diameter of MnS precipitates is about 48 nm within this precipitation temperature range. The influences of chemical components and thermo-mechanical processing conditions on the precipitation behavior of MnS in the same process were also discussed.

Temperature distribution and dynamic control of secondary cooling in slab continuous casting

To predict and optimize the temperature distribution of slab continuous casting in steady operational state, a three-dimensional model （named ＂offline model＂） based on the heat transfer and solidification theories was developed. Both heat transfer and flux distribution characteristics of the nozzle sprays on the slab were considered, and the complicated boundary conditions, such as spray cooling, natural convection, thermal radiation as well as contact cooling of individual rolls were involved in the model. By using the calibrated caster dependent model factors, the calculated temperature and shell thickness accorded well with the measured. Furthermore, a dynamic secondary water cooling control system was also developed on the basis of a two-dimensional transient heat transfer model （named ＂online model＂） and incremental PID control algorithm to reduce slab surface temperature fluctuation in unsteady state. Compared with the traditional spray table control method, the present online model and dynamic PID control demonstrate a higher capability and flexibility to adjust cooling water flowrate and reduce slab surface temperature fluctuation when the casting speed is changed.

Characteristics evolution of 6009/7050 bimetal slab prepared by direct-chill casting process

6009/7050 alloy bimetal slab was prepared by a direct-chill (DC) casting process. Homogenizing annealing, hot rolling and T6 treatment were successively performed and their effects on microstructure and properties of the slab were studied. The results reveal that the average diffusion layer thickness of as-cast slab, determined by interdiffusion of elements Zn, Cu, Mg and Si, was about 400 μm. Excellent metallurgical bonding was achieved because all tensile samples fractured on the softer 6009 alloy side after homogenizing annealing. After homogenizing annealing plus rolling, the average diffusion layer thickness decreased to 100 μm, while the network structure of 7050 alloy side transformed to dispersive nubby structure. Furthermore, subsequent T6 treatment resulted in diffusion layer thickness up to 200 μm and an obvious increase of the Vickers hardness for both 7050 and 6009 sides. The layered structure of the as-cast 6009/7050 bimetal is retained after hot rolling and T6 treatment.

Physical modeling of gas-liquid interfacial fluctuation in a thick slab continuous casting mold with argon blowing

Combining with the physical model of level fluctuation in a thick slab continuous casting mold with the cross-section of 1500 mm×280 mm and argon blowing, the rationalities of estimating the level fluctuation by three traditional quantitative approaches were discussed, and the effects of gas flowrate, casting speed, and the immersion depth of submerged entry nozzle （SEN） on the level fluctuation were also investigated. As a result, it seems that three traditional quantitative approaches are not very suitable for estimating the level fluctuation in a mold with argon blowing, so a new approach for estimating level fluctuation in the mold with argon blowing was presented. The experimental results show that the level fluctuation is mainly in the region around the nozzle wall. When the casting speeds are larger than a certain value, there is the escape of large bubbles near the nozzle wall, which causes an obvious increase of level fluctuation. Furthermore, optimal process parameters, viz., the gas flowrate of 6 NL/min, the casting speed of 1.1 m/min, and the immersion depth of 170 mm, are presented to restrain the level fluctuation by a physical model.

Numerical Simulation of Linear Electromagnetic Stirring in Secondary Cooling Region of Slab Caster

According to the theory of alternating magnetohydrodynamics and magnetic boundary renewal method,mathematical models were proposed for electromagnetic stirring in secondary cooling region( SEMS) of slab caster. The magnetic fields and flow fields of melt were simulated with SEMS. It's shown that the electromagnetic forces with inward and sidelong components produced by travel magnetic field at the wide faces of slab make the melt whirling in horizontal section,and the convection of the melt is strengthened obviously there. In addition,magnetic flux density attenuates from the edge to the center of slab,and the profile of the melt velocity along slab thickness in the center of the horizontal section takes a two-opposite-peak configuration. Ultimately,the stirring intensity and features are determined by the electromagnetic parameters,coil arrangement and stirring types.

Hot top electromagnetic casting research of Al thin slab

The hot top EMC (electromagnetic casting) method was put forward, namely, the shape of top liquid column was formed by the hot top in the screen and the semi suspended liquid column was formed by the electromagnetic force nearby the liquid solid interface frontier. Using the numerical simulating technique, the temperature distribution was discussed, the effect of parameters such as upper conduct distance (UCD), cooling water rate of flow, pouring temperature and liquid column height on casting velocity were studied, the relationship among them was confirmed finally. According to the calculated results, the hot top EMC shaping system was designed and a lot of experiments were performed. The pure Al thin slabs of 480 mm×20 mm×850 mm were made successfully. The result showed that the casting velocity curve obtained experimentally almost coincides to the calculated one.

Surface turbulence in a physical model of a steel thin slab continuous caster

In the thin slab continuous casting （TSCC） of steel, the issue of optimum fluid flow is very important due to higher casting speeds and has direct influence on the formation of solidified shells and the quality of final products. In the current work, a full-scale physical mod- eling of a thin slab easter on the basis of dimensionless Reynolds and Froude similarity criteria was constructed. The flow pattern in the funnel shaped mold with a new tetra-furcated submerged entry nozzle （SEN） was investigated. To determinate optimum operational parameters, some experiments were carried out under various casting conditions. The results show that the tetra-furcated design of the nozzle leads to a special flow pattern in the mold cavity with three-dimensional recirculating flow. It is also shown that the increase of casting speed and gas injection results in surface turbulence. On the other hand, using a higher depth of SEN decreases the vortex in the free surface of the caster. To avoid surface turbulent and related casting problems, it is recommended to use 30-cm and 40-cm SEN depth at the casting speeds of 3.5 and 4.5 m/min, respectively.

Water modeling of mold powder entrapment in slab continuous casting mold

The optimal parameters were determined by the water modeling of slab casting. It was found that there are mainly three types of mold powder entrapment in slab continuous casting, i.e., the entrapment caused by the shearing flow near the narrow face of mold, the entrapment caused by vortexes around the submerged entry nozzle （SEN）, and the entrapment caused by the Ar bubbling. Both the velocity of the surface flow and the level fluctuation of the liquids are enlarged with increasing the casting speed, reducing the submersion depth of SEN, decreasing the downward angles of the nozzle outlets, and increasing the Ar flowrate, all of which increase the tendency of mold powder entrapment. Among the four above-mentioned factors, casting speed has the largest effect.

Characteristics of shell thickness in a slab continuous casting mold

The key to reduce shell breakout in the continuous casting process is to control shell thickness in the mold. A numerical simulation on the turbulent flow and heat transfer coupled with solidification in the slab mold using the volume of fluid （VOF） model and the enthalpy-porosity scheme was conducted and the emphasis was put upon the flow effect on the shell thickness profiles in longitudinal and transverse directions. The results show that the jet acts a stronger impingement on the shell of narrow face, which causes a zero-increase of shell thickness in a certain range near the impingement point. The thinnest shell on the slab cross-section locates primarily in the center of the narrow face, and secondly near the comer of the wide face. Nozzle optimization can obviously increase the shell thickness and make it more uniform.

Influence of submerged entry nozzle clogging on the behavior of molten steel in continuously cast slab molds

The influence of submerged entry nozzle clogging on the behavior of molten steel in continuously cast slab molds was studied using commercial code CFX4.3. The results indicate that clogging at the top part of the nozzle port not only increases the velocity of molten steel, but also enhances the wall shear stress, F number and heat flux. This clogging has the greatest effect on the behavior of molten steel. However, clogging at the top 1/3 of the nozzle only increases the velocity of molten steel and has little influence. Clogging at the bottom of the nozzle almost has no influence.

Formation mechanism of internal cracks in continuously cast slab

In order to make clear the formation mechanism of centerline cracks incontinuously cast slabs, the form, distribution and other characteristics of the cracks wereanalyzed. The final solidification point, surface temperature of the slabs and strain in solidifyingshell were investigated. The results were that: (1) Five relatively low temperature zones exist onslab surface below the three water spraying nozzles and near the two edges, respectively, whichcorresponds to the places of centerline cracks and triangle-zone cracks. (2) Centerline cracks andtriangle-zone cracks occur because of weak secondary cooling, uneven cooling along slab width, andlarge variation of roll gap. (3) After minimizing the variation of roll gap and applying the newsecondary cooling pattern, the occurring frequency of centerline and triangle-zone cracks minimizesto zero.