Large inclusions captured by the solidifying shell deteriorate the surface quality of interstitial free steel. To investigate the capture of large inclusion in slab continuous casting, a three-dimensional model coupling flow field, solidification and inclusion motion has been developed. Additionally, to study the effect of in-mold electromagnetic stirring (M-EMS) on large inclusion capture, the electromagnetic field has been also coupled in the model. The results of electromagnetic field indicates its centrally symmetrical distribution on the cross-section, and the electromagnetic force swirls on the cross-section. The effects of M-EMS on flow pattern, solidification and inclusion capture have been discussed. The M-EMS significantly changes the flow pattern and solidifying shell thickness. The inhomogeneous distribution of large inclusions existing in the slab surface in the slab surface are different between the cases with and without M-EMS. Furthermore, the number of captured inclusions increases at 0-0.02 m beneath the wide surface and decreases at 0.02-0.04 m beneath the wide surface in response to the application of M-EMS. Large inclusions in steel were quantitatively analyzed by the galvanostatic electrolysis method. The experimental results are in agreement with the simulation results, suggesting that the model is valid.

Abstract:Inclusions entrapped by the solidifying front during continuous casting would deteriorate the properties of the final steel products. In order to investigate the inclusion motion and the entrapment during the full solidification in curved billet caster, the present work has developed a three-dimensional numerical model coupling the flow, solidification, and inclusion motion. The predicted result indicates that the inclusion distribution inside the liquid pool of the mold is not perfectly symmetrical. Furthermore, the motion and the entrapment of micro inclusions in the mold are mainly affected by the molten steel flow pattern, however, those of macro inclusions depend both on the molten steel flow pattern and the buoyancy force of the inclusions. In the curved part of the strand, macro inclusions shift to the solidifying front of the inner radius as time goes on, while the solidifying front of the outer radius cannot entrap inclusions. The distributions of inclusions smaller than 5 µm in the solidified strand are even. However, for inclusions that are larger than 5 µm, their distributions become uneven. To validate the model, measurement of the strand surface temperature and the detection of inclusions in samples obtained from a plant have been performed. Good agreement is found between the predicted and experimental results.

A three-dimensional mathematical model for natural decarburization process of ultra-low carbon Al killed steel during RH refining has been established. The decarburization behavior in RH degasser was discussed on the basis of a comparison between simulation data and the actual plant trials ones. The effects of the different initial carbon content, initial oxygen content, the lift gas rate and inside diameter on decarburization were investigated. The results showed that when the dissolved oxygen concentration was 0.08% in the molten steel, the flow rate of gas injected through the up-leg was 120 Nm 3 /h, the inside diameter of up and down-leg was 650 mm, under these conditions, the initial carbon content was 0.03%, 0.023% and 0.015%, respectively, after about 25 minute, the average carbon content in molten steel was 0.011%, 0.01% and 0.0008%. The final dissolved carbon content is related to the initial dissolved oxygen content in molten steel. The average carbon concentration and the decarburization rate of the molten steel will decrease with the increasing of the initial dissolved oxygen content. The effects of different inside diameter of up and down-leg were also compared, it shows that the increasing of the diameter of up/down-leg will promote decarburization effectively, which can increase the circulation flow rate and promote the reaction rate.

Macrosegregation, serving as a major defect in billets, can severely degrade material homogeneity. Better understanding of the physical characteristics of macrosegregation through numerical simulation could significantly contribute to the segregation control. The main purpose of this study was to predict macrosegregation in continuously cast billets with a newly developed three-dimensional macrosegregation model. The fluid flow, solidification, and solute transport in the entire billet region were solved and analyzed. Flow patterns, revealing a typical melt recirculation at the upper region of mold and thermosolutal convection at the secondary cooling zone, significantly affect the solidification and solute distribution. The solute redistribution occurring with thermosolutal convection at the solidification front contributes significantly to continued macrosegregation as solidification proceeds. The results of this study show that the equilibrium partition coefficient is mostly responsible for the magnitude of macrosegregation, while comparison between solute P and S indicated that diffusion coefficients also have some amount of influence. Typical macrosegregation patterns containing a positively segregated peak at the centerline and negatively segregated minima at either side were obtained via the proposed three-dimensional macrosegregation model, which validated by the measured surface temperatures and segregation degree.

A macrosegregation model, coupling fluid flow, heat and solute transport model, was developed based on continuum model to predict the evolution of macrosegregation in continuous round billet casting, as well as the influence of microsegregation model choice on prediction of macrosegregation. Evolution and characteristics of macrosegregation corresponding to predicted solidification were revealed. As solidification proceeds, solutes are ejected from solid phase to liquid at solidification front. The resulting mushy zone is enriched by solutes, due to the low velocity and limited diffusion, which produces segregation at the billet center as the liquid available for dilution diminishes near the end of solidification. Predicted and experimental results for surface temperature and centerline segregation compare agreeably, which indicates the validity of the coupled macrosegregation model in this work. A detailed analysis was performed to investigate the influence of microsegregation model on prediction of macrosegregation, demonstrating that choice of model affects predicted segregation degree of solutes, which effect varies with type of solute, due to the solute back-diffusion coefficient.