Study on Properties of Alumina‐Based Mould Fluxes for High‐Al Steel Slab Casting

During the continuous casting of high‐Al steel, the dynamic reduction of silica‐based mould fluxes by the aluminium in the steel leads to changes in their composition and physical properties. The alumina‐based mould flux has been suggested as an alternative to alleviate this reduction problem. However, until now, the smooth running of high‐Al steel continuous casting has been impeded by the lack of systematic investigation of properties of this slag. In this paper, the effects of typical components on the properties of alumina‐based mould fluxes are discussed. The experimental results show that: (a) an increase in F^? can reduce the viscosity while increasing the melting and break temperatures; (b) with increasing Li₂O, the viscosity, melting temperature, and break temperature first decrease and then increase; (c) with the addition of BaO, the viscosity, melting temperature, and break temperature remain at a low level, while a further increase in BaO causes a decrease in viscosity, an increase in melting temperature, and the stabilization of the break temperature; (d) BaO is favorable to stabilize the properties of mould fluxes for the dissolution of additional Al₂O₃; (e) the crystalline phases of the mould fluxes mainly contain 12CaO · 7Al₂O₃ and 11CaO · 7Al₂O₃ · CaF₂, and 12CaO · 7Al₂O₃ has great potential as a substitute for cuspidine.