Mould flux development for high Al steel continuous casting

Abstract

The purpose of my research is mainly focused on the Properties of CaO-Al2O3-based Mould Flux for High-Al Steel Continuous Casting. Mould flux is crucial to the continuous casting process for lubricating the strand as well as controlling the heat transfer between the mould and the steel strand. To reduce vehicle weight and obtain superior mechanical properties, a large amount of aluminium has been added to the steel. However, aluminium tends to react with silica-based mould flux during continuous casting, which could lead to a variety of casting problems, such as breakout prediction alarms, transverse and longitudinal depressions, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to limit the reaction between Al in the steel and SiO2 in the mould flux. This project aims to develop CaO-Al2O3-based mould fluxes for the continuous casting of the high-Al steel. The project will study melting properties, viscosity, structure, crystallisation behaviour and heat transfer of CaO-Al2O3-based mould fluxes to provide some strategy for the design of mould fluxes for the continuous casting of high-Al steel.