The flow of melted mold powder into the interfacial gap between the strand and the mold wall is important for productivity and quality in continuous cast slabs. Some of the mold slag (flux) consumption provides true lubrication, while much of the rest is trapped in the oscillation marks on the slab surface. This work presents measurements of powder consumption from extensive careful plant trials on ultra-low carbon steels, and a new, simple, semi-empirical model to predict slag consumption. The model predicts "lubrication consumption" by deducting the slag carried in the oscillation marks from the measured total. The oscillation mark shape is estimated from a theoretical analysis of equilibrium meniscus shape, which is based on metallographic analysis of many hook and oscillation mark shapes. The model demonstrates that the fraction consumed in the oscillation marks decreases with increasing casting speed, because the oscillation mark depth depends more on casting speed than on mold oscillation conditions. The model is validated by successful prediction of known trends of oscillation mark depth and mold powder consumption with changing various operation parameters. The model provides new insight into mold lubrication phenomena, which is important for extending casting operation to higher speeds and new lubrication regimes.KEY WORDS: continuous casting; mold powder; slag; flux; lubrication; oscillation marks; mold oscillation; stroke; frequency; modification ratio; negative strip time; positive strip time; casting speed; meniscus; models; plant experiments.ISIJ International, Vol. 46 (2006), No. 11, pp. 1635No. 11, pp. -1644 slag as shown in Fig. 1(a). The solid slag layers are glassy, crystalline, or mixtures of both 14) depending on the slag composition and local cooling rate history. [15][16][17] Several previous models of heat transfer and lubrication assume that the gap has a uniform thickness. [18][19][20] However, the real strand surface contains periodic transverse depressions called oscillation marks (OM) in Fig. 1(b). The volume of these depressions generally consumes a significant amount of slag, which greatly affects lubrication and leads to nonuniform heat transfer in the mold. 21) Thus, quantifying the oscillation mark shape is a necessary prerequisite for the prediction of lubrication and heat transfer in the mold.In this study, mold powder consumption was measured during casting trials conducted at POSCO Gwangyang Works for several different oscillation conditions and casting speeds. The measured consumptions were divided into two components: 1) the slag entrapped in the oscillation marks and 2) the remaining flux, which provides lubrication to prevent sticking, as shown in Fig. 1(b). This "lubrication consumption" is a more realistic concept to represent lubrication than total mold powder consumption.17) The oscillation mark shape is calculated by combining measured OM depths with a realistic profile based on fundamentals. 22) Correlations are found for OM depth, corresponding OM consumption, l...