Mould powders play an important role in the stability of the continuous casting process of steel. The main functions of mould slag (i.e. molten powder) are to provide sufficient lubrication and to control the heat transfer between the developing steel shell and the mould. Sufficient lubrication requires an undisturbed melting of mould powders and uniform infiltration of mould slag. Based on the casting practice in IJmuiden, it is found that these demands become even more important for the applied high casting speeds in thin slab casting at 5 to 6 m/min. At Corus RD&T, mould powders were characterised by X-ray diffraction and subsequent fUlly quantitative Rietveld analysis. Additionally, the melting of mould powders has been studied in-situ using high-temperature X-ray diffraction, to gain crucial knowledge about melting relations. Slag rims obtained from the thin slab caster mould were characterised using extended microscopic techniques in order to describe the mechanisms of rim formation and growth. Finally, slag films obtained after casting were characterised. As a result, not only the melting process of mould powder, but also the mechanism of formation and growth of slag rims is much better understood. This knowledge will be applied to define the demands on the composition and properties of mould powder for even higher casting speeds.

At the thin slab caster of Tata Steel, IJmuiden, mild cooling mould powders were introduced with the aim to control the mould heat transfer during casting. These mild cooling mould powders are characterised by specific values of basicity, solidification point and chemical composition. Application of these mould powders resulted in a redistribution of mould heat transfer during casting, i.e. a reduced and more stable mould heat transfer in the critical upper part of the mould and an increased mould heat transfer in the lower part of the mould. The average mould heat transfer and hence the shell thickness at mould exit are comparable to the standard powder. The application of mild cooling mould powders also resulted in improved solidification behaviour of the steel shell. A thinner chill zone with smaller thickness variations was observed. Furthermore, it was found that the mould taper required optimisation to match the changes in shrinkage behaviour to ensure uniform solidification. The use of mild cooling powders was observed to give an increase in mould friction. Mould thermal monitoring indicated that the solid slag films fractured (sheeting) in the upper part of the mould. However, no operational problems were reported, which indicate that the first 200 mm under the steel meniscus is essential for initial solidification and for the formation of a homogeneous steel shell. All these findings can be understood by considering the crystallisation properties of the mould slag, which include the cooling rate. Mild cooling has been shown to provide uniform heat transfer and adequate lubrication for high speed thin slab casting.

Based on a presentation at the 6th International Conference on 'Molten slags, fluxes, and Slab casting salts' held in Stockholm and Helsinki on 12-16 June 2000.In all cases, the data obtained from the questionnaire consisted of the usual or well known properties, i.e. viscosity,

The development and application of mould powder for high-speed continuous casting of steel is described. For thin slab casting, the main requirements are proper powder melting, undisturbed slag infiltration, adequate strand lubrication and the control of mould heat transfer. For increased casting speeds i.e. up to 8 m/min, slag infiltration and in particular the control of mould heat transfer via crystallisation of the slag film becomes even more important. It was found that a low powder consumption and hence a thin slag film is no restriction for an undisturbed thin slab casting process. Given a stable casting process and machine condition, the mould powder properties are not as critical as widely assumed.

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