Research of Mold Powder for Ultra-Low Carbon Steel

It is well known,the physical properties andchemical composition of mold powder are ofimportance to achieve optimum operatingperformance and satisfactory final product quality.Mold powder has to serve some majorfunctions suchas thermal insulation,reoxidation protection,inclusion absorption,lubrication,and uniform heattransfer. The carbon addition has been an essentialcomponent in mold powder. Free carbon controlsthe powder melting by providing an inert betweenthe solid particles and/ or flux p…     

Behavior of Liquid Steel in Mold for Thin Slab Caster

Thinslabcasting ,animportantnewtechnologyindevelopmentofironandsteelindustry ,isasignif icantbreakthroughinthefieldofnearnetshapeca stingtechnology .Althoughthethinslabcastinghasbeensuccessfullyappliedtoindustrialproduction ,itisstillexpectedtoimprovefurtherinthetermsofsteelgrades ,qualityandproductivity .Thekeyistomodifytheinternalshapeofmoldandsubmergeden trynozzle (SEN ) .Atpresent ,theinternalshapeofmoldandSENhasbeenfurtherstudiedtocastdif ferentqualitysteelsinChinaandothercountries[1,2…     

Effects of Rare Earth Oxide on Viscosity of Mold Fluxes for Continuous Casting

The effects of RE (rare earth) oxide on viscosity of mold fluxes were investigated with a rotary viscometer. The results show that : (1) The viscositv of mold fluxes is remarkably inereased by RE oxide addition, especially when the mass fraction of RE oxide is more than 10%. (2) By addition of RE oxide, precipitation of the insohlble particles with high melting point from the molten slag with the decreasing of the temperature leads to the inerease of viscosity. Viscosity curve shows that RE oxide is soluble in some extent in mold fluxes. When RE oxide is in a state of supersaturation, the existence of insoluble particles also makes the viscosity of mold fluxes increase. (3) Not only the viscositv of nlold fluxes can be reduced, but also the capacity to dissolve and absorb RE oxide can be increased by Li2O, B2O3 and BaO. However, the contents of Li2O, B2O3, and BaO should be controlled to suitable levels. (4) The solidification temperature of mold fluxes can be increased by the addition of RE oxide, which is unfavorable to heat transfer and luhrication of mold fluxes between steel shell and mold.     

Behavior of Mold Slag Used for 20Mn23Al Nonmagnetic Steel During Casting

 Because of the addition of significant quantities of Al and Mn, the great challenge of casting 20Mn23Al non-magnetic steel is to design a mold slag that is chemically compatible with this steel chemistry. In this paper, a new mold slag with low melting point, low basicity was proposed. The initial slag (the base mold slag) and two corresponding spent mold slag (8min slag and 15min slag), which was sampled from the caster after 8 minutes and 15minutes of casting, were investigated, the changes of mold slag composition and properties of molten slag were discussed. The results showed that:(i) The slag quickly changed in chemistry to a slag that contained a low quantity of silica and a higher quantity of alumina, and the basicity increased obviously; (ii) Heat flux density through the slag film decreased appreciably with the time increase; (iii) Mold slag used for non-magnetic steel precipitated CaF2 crystals; (iv) The slab has good surface quality with not occurrences of longitudinal face cracks and slag inclusions; (v) The Al2O3 content in the molten slag pool increased with time, and Al2O3 concentration of the pool can be regarded as being in a practically equilibrium state after about 600sec.     

Effect of Carbon Properties on Melting Behavior of Mold Fluxes for Continuous Casting of Steels

Mold fluxes are synthetic slags used to coverthe liquid steel meniscus during continuous castingof steel.The flux,whichis continuously fed on thesurface of liquid pool during casting,melts first andthenflowsintothe gap between mold wall and solid-ified steel shell.It is well known that the perform-ance of the flux can greatly affect both the castingoperation and product quality.Because of its i mpor-tance,intensiveinvestigations have been performed,and considerable progress has been made[1-6].…     

Simulating Calculation of Frictional Force between Mold and Billet

ＳｉｍｕｌａｔｉｎｇＣａｌｃｕｌａｔｉｏｎｏｆＦｒｉｃｔｉｏｎａｌＦｏｒｃｅｂｅｔｗｅｎＭｏｌｄａｎｄＢｉｌｅｔＸｕＧｕａｎｇｍｉｎｇ，ＣｕｉＪｉａｎｚｈｏｎｇ，ＮａＸｉｎｊｉｅ①ＡＢＳＴＲＡＣＴＡｓｕｍｐｔｉｏｎａｂｏｕｔｔｈｅｉｎｎｅｒｓｕｒｆａ...     

Solidification in Soft-Contact Continuous Casting Mold with Alternating Electromagnetic Field

Ａｓａｎｅｆｆｅｃｔｉｖｅｔｅｃｈｎｉｑｕｅ ,ｓｏｆｔ ｃｏｎｔａｃｔｅｌｅｃｔｒｏ ｍａｇｎｅｔｉｃｃｏｎｔｉｎｕｏｕｓｃａｓｔｉｎｇｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙｉｓｒｅｃｅｎｔｌｙｉｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｃｏｎｔｉｎｕｏｕｓｃａｓｔｉｎｇｐｒｏｃｅｓｓｔｏｃｏｎ ｔｒｏｌｔｈｅｉｎｉｔｉａｌｓｏｌｉｄｉｆｉｃａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｉｍｐｒｏｖｅｔｈｅｑｕａｌｉｔｙｏｆｂｉｌｌｅｔ[1,2 ] .Ｔｈｅｈｉｇｈｆｒｅｑｕｅｎｃｙｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｍａｇｎｅｔｉｃｆｉｅｌｄｉｓｕｓｅｄｍａｉｎｌｙｔｏｃｏｎｆｉｎｅｔ…     

Meniscus Behavior in Electromagnetic Soft-Contact Continuous Casting Round Billet Mold

Using molten Pb-Sn-Bi alloy, the meniscus shape under high frequency magnetic field of φ100 mm round billet caster was investigated. The effect of some parameters on meniscus shape was studied. The results show that for a mold with 12 segments, the meniscus shape is relatively stable. With increasing power input, the menis- cus height increases with intensification of fluctuation. For the given caster, the reasonable power input is about 70 kW. The coil should be near to the top of mold and/or the initial meniscus should be near to the center of the coil. The lower the frequency, the higher is the meniscus height. With increasing frequency, the free surface is more flattened and meniscus becomes more stable. In practice, the power input should be increased simultaneously with frequency. The optimal frequency is about 20 kHz.     

Viscosity and Viscosity Estimate Model of Fluoride-free and Titanium-Bearing Mold Fluxes

The relationship between the binary basicity (CaO/SiO2),TiO2,Na2O,Li2O,MgO,MnO,B2O3 and viscosity for fluoride-free and titanium-bearing mold fluxes were systematically researched. The rotating cylinder method was employed in the experiment to measure the viscosity of the slag. The results indicate that Li2O, B2O3 and Na2O play major roles in decreasing viscosity, especially Li2O, which is the most effective flux, while MgO and MnO exert little influence on viscosity. Meanwhile, it can be concluded that with increasing TiO2 content, the viscosity of fluoride-free and titanium-bearing mold fluxes increases at first but then falls when the amount of TiO2 is greater than 6.0%. Based on large amounts of experimental statistics of the viscosity of fluoride-free and titanium-bearing mold fluxes, an available model in literature for predicting the mold-slag viscosity was modified. This modified model can be used to predict the viscosity of fluoride-free and titanium-bearing mold fluxes. In fact, the predicted values approximate the observed values with a ±10.6% average deviation. Compared with the classical models,the average deviation is higher and it was found that the modified model can be used to estimate the viscosity of fluoride-free and titanium-bearing mold fluxes.     

Distribution of Magnetic Flux Density in SoftContact EMCC Rectangular Mold

The distribution of the magnetic flux density in a softcontact electromagnetic continuous casting (EMCC) rectangular mold was investigated. The experimental results show that with an increase in electric power, the magnetic flux density increases. The position where the maximum magnetic flux density appears will shift up when the coil moves to the top of the mold. At the same time, the maximum magnetic flux density will increase and the effective acting range of electromagnetic pressure will widen. As a result, in practice, the coil should be placed near the top part of the mold. The meniscus should be controlled near the top part of the coil, as this not only remarkably improves the billet surface quality but also saves energy. With the same electric power input, the higher the frequency, the lower the magnetic flux density.     

Effect of Electromagnetic Stirring on Molten Steel Flow and Solidification in Bloom Mold

The effect of electromagnetic stirring on molten steel flow and heat transfer in a 260 mm× 300 mm bloom mold was investigated by using a method combining both finite element method and finite volume method. The simu lation results related to magnetic fields were consistent with the onsite measured data. The magnetic flux density in creased with increasing the current intensity but decreased with increasing the current frequency. Electromagnetic stirring caused molten steel to flow with rotation on a horizontal section and two sets of recirculation regions with opposite fellow directions in a longitudinal section formed. The maximum tangential velocity increased with increasing the current intensity and frequency. Furthermore, the superheat degree of the molten steel on the outlet cross section of the mold decreased with increasing the current intensity. growth zone of solidified shell in the effective stirring zone. bearing steel, the appropriate values of current intensity and to be 300 A and 3 Hz, respectively. Electromagnetic stirring caused the emergence of a zero For the 260 mm N 300 mm bloom continuous caster of current frequency of electromagnetic stirring were found     

Finite Element Analysis of 3-D Electromagnetic Field in Bloom Continuous Casting Mold

Three-dimensional finite element model of electromagnetic stirrer was built to predict magnetic field in a bloom continuous casting mold for steel during operation.The effects of current intensity,current frequency,and mold copper plate thickness on the magnetic field distribution in the mold were investigated.The results show that the magnetic induction intensity increases linearly with the increase in current intensity and decreases with the increase in current frequency.Increasing current intensity and frequency is available in increasing the electromagnetic force.The Joule heat decreases gradually from surface to center of bloom,and a maximum Joule heat can be found on corner of bloom.The prediction of magnetic induction intensity is in good agreement with the measured values.     

A Reaction Between High Mn–High Al Steel and CaO-SiO2-Type Molten Mold Flux: Reduction of Additive Oxide Components in Mold Flux by Al in Steel

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - The interfacial reaction between high-Mn–high-Al steel and CaO-SiO2-type mold flux was investigated, with particular emphasis on the reduction of...     

Finite Element Analysis of 3D Electromagnetic Field in Bloom Continuous Casting Mold

Threedimensional finite element model of electromagnetic stirrer was built to predict magnetic field in a bloom continuous casting mold for steel during operation. The effects of current intensity, current frequency, and mold copper plate thickness on the magnetic field distribution in the mold were investigated. The results show that the magnetic induction intensity increases linearly with the increase in current intensity and decreases with the increase in current frequency. Increasing current intensity and frequency is available in increasing the electromagnetic force. The Joule heat decreases gradually from surface to center of bloom, and a maximum Joule heat can be found on corner of bloom. The prediction of magnetic induction intensity is in good agreement with the measured values.     

Heat Transfer and Deformation Behavior of Shell Solidification in Wide and Thick Slab ContinuousCasting Mold

With the considerations of the behaviors of shell deformation, mold flux film and air gap dynamic distribution in shell/mold gap, a two dimensional slice-travel transient thermo-mechanical coupled model of simulation shell solidification in wide and thick slab continuous casting mold was developed by using the commercial program ANSYS. The evolutions of strand-mold system thermal behaviors, including the air gap formation and the mold flux film dynamical distribution in shell/mold gap and shell temperature field, and the evolutions of shell deformation and stress distribution of peritectic steel solidified in a 2120 mm wide and 266 mm thick slab continuous casting mold were analyzed. The results show that the air gap formation and the thick mold flux film distribution mainly concentrate in the regions 0–21 mm and 0–7 mm, 0–120 mm and 0–100 mm off the shell wide and narrow faces corners, and thus the hot spots are given rise to form in the regions 15–55 mm and 15–50 mm off the shell wide and narrow face corners. The shell server deformation occurs in the off-corners in the middle and lower parts of the mold. The stress evolution in shell surface is tensile stress, while that in shell solidification front is compressive stress.     

Numerical Prediction on the Flow Field of Molten Steel and the Trajectory of Inclusion in Continuous Casting Mold Effected by Electromagnetic Field

Ｔｈｅｑｕａｌｉｔｙｏｆｓｔｅｅｌｂｉｌｅｔｉｓｃｌｏｓｅｌｙｒｅｌａｔｅｄｔｏｔｈｅｆｌｏｗｆｉｅｌｄｉｎｍｏｌｄ．Ｗｈｅｎｍｏｌｔｅｎｓｔｅｅｌｗｉｔｈｎｏｎ－ｍｅｔａｌｉｃｉｎｃｌｕｓｉｏｎｉｓｐｏｕｒｅｄｉｎｔｏｍｏｌｄ，ｓｔｅｅｌｊｅｔｕｓ...     

Approaches for Making Risk-Based Go∕No-Go Decision for International Projects

The world economy is becoming more global due to agreements such as the “Uruguay Round” in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The globalization of the construction industry provides tremendous opportunities for contractors to expand into new foreign markets. However, international construction involves all of the uncertainties common to domestic construction projects as well as risks specific to international transactions. Consequently, in opposition to the worldwide globalization trend, only 19% of the U.S. top 400 contractors actively seek international contracts. This paper discusses current approaches related to entry decisions into international construction markets. It then develops a comprehensive approach for making stable and systematic go∕no-go decisions for international projects. Finally, a pilot study is used to demonstrate and validate the approach.     

Growing demand for zinc

China's zinc consumption is estimated to havegrown by 8.2 per cent year-on-year reaching1.3 million tons in 2000,according to an analy-sis report.The galvanizing industry is still the main con-sumer for zinc and the growth rate in this areais most apparent.In 1999 for example,the do-