Improved Quality of Billets by Optimization of Continuous Casting Equipment

by Norio Tezuka, Takamiya Yoshinari, Yoshihiro Otagaki, Katsuyuki Isogami

Publisher - Funabashi Works, Godo Steel Ltd., Japan

Category - General Novel

Funabashi Works，Godo Steel, Ltd has a mill specialize in producing reinforcing bars in the suburbs of the metropolitan area, and produces various kinds and sizes to meet needs of engineering works and construction fields. Moreover, measures for environmental preservation are focused on conditions of location. In recent years, the billet produced by the steelmaking plant has a risk of loss of the product in large quantities when an abnormality occurs in the internal quality because they are rolled directly after casting. Moreover, some billets are sold to secondary processing manufacturers in the billet shape; therefore, quality needs of the billet have been growing. In order to improve quality of the billet, diagnosis for equipment in the continuous casting line had been conducted, and adjustments for casting had been made to the close to ideal condition. As a result, internal cracks generated in the billet center were able to be reduced significantly. Moreover, by setting the design of the mold that reflects the solidification shrinkage of the iron and the heat transformation of the mold itself, the rhomboid-deformed slabs and internal cracking developed in the corners were reduced drastically. It is possible to conclude that the above-mentioned improvements in quality were obtained by the optimization of the various stresses developed during the process from solidification to cutting, and by controlling the Air-gap developed between the solidified shell and mold. As a result of slab quality improvement, adaptability ratio to inspection standards has improved, and slab-related defects in the products after rolling have been eliminated. This paper describes the results obtained by changing the mold design and optimization of continuous casting equipment.

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