Study of Solidification of Continuously Cast Steel Round Billets Using Numerical Modelling

The paper is dedicated to the verification of solidification of continuously cast round steel billets using numerical modelling based on the finite element method. The aim of numerical modelling is to optimize the production of continuously cast steel billets of round format. The paper describes the pre-processing, processing and post-processing phases of numerical modelling. Also, the problems with determination of the thermodynamic properties of materials and the heat transfer between the individual parts of the casting system, including the definition of the heat losses along the casting strand in the primary and secondary cooling, were discussed. The first results of numerical simulation show the so-called thermal steady state of continuous casting. The temperature field, the metallurgical length and the thickness of the shell at the end of the mould were predicted. The further research will be concentrated on the prediction the risk of the cracks and the porosity based on the different boundary conditions.

Hot Ductility Variations of ST52-3 Continuously Cast Steel within the Cast Strand

Along the metallurgical length at continuous casting, the temperature within the strand ranges from above melt temperature (>1500) to about 900 oC. In this range, mechanical properties drastically drop at above the zero deformation temperature (ZDT) and the zero strength temperature (ZST), therefore crack susceptibility increases. These temperatures depend on (local) chemical and microstructural properties. We investigated the change in ZDT and ZST for ST52-3 steel grade by taking samples from the as-cast strand from positions of the columnar grains and from the centreline segregated zone. We found more than 100 oC drop in ZDT due to segregations in the centreline compared to the columnar zone within the strand.