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Ingot Casting
Ingot Casting
Table 5.1. A 10-year summary of raw steel production by type and casting method.
Fig. 5.3 The effect of oxygen content and control on typical ingot structure.
homogeneity and surface properties. In practice, capping is most effective for steels between 0.15
and 0.30% carbon, while rimming is best applied to steels with lower carbon content.
The capping process is a method for mechanical suppression of the deleterious effects of
dissolved oxygen. A chemical alternative to theses methods involves removal of the oxygen from
the molten steel prior to casting. This is generally done with silicon additions of ferrosilicon, high
silicon pig iron, or silico-manganese. If the steel is deoxidized sufficiently, the evolution of gas is
completely suppressed, killing the rimming action. The resulting ingot is relatively uniform in
structure and the prevention of the boil results in substantially decreased macrosegregation.
Because no gas bubbles are formed in the melt, solidification shrinkage is accommodated at the
upper surface by the formation of a large shrinkage cavity or pipe. Killed steels are typically used
when the essential quality is structural soundness. In general, all steels with a carbon content
higher than 0.30 wt.% are killed. Semikilled steels are only partially deoxidized and typically
contain 0.15-0.30% carbon. Some gas evolution is observed and internal blowholes are formed to
an extent that accommodates much or all of the total solidification shrinkage. Therefore, the pipe
observed in a killed ingot is not present. Typical ingot structures are shown in Fig. 5.3.
Continuous Casting
The continuous casting process was developed so that the product form produced could
be directly rolled on a finishing mill, thus bypassing the ingot casting and slabbing operations. In
addition, the process has led to improvements in both yield and quality. Coupled with the
general trend away from the large integrated steel mill toward the smaller specialized minimill,
the development of the continuous casting process has significantly changed the way that a large
portion of today’s steel is produced. Currently, over 50% of the world’s steel is produced with
continuous casting processes. In this section, the features of the process that affect the
metallurgical quality of the steel are briefly discussed.
The distinguishing characteristic of a continuous casting process is that the mold is open
on both ends so that the solidified metal can be drawn out while the molten metal is being poured
in the opposite end. The principal components of a continuous casting line, or strand, are shown
in Fig.5.4. The primary tasks that must be accomplished by the strand are similar to those of ingot
casting. The molten metal must first be delivered to the casting strand. This is done by pouring
from the ladle into the vessel known as a tundish, which controls the flow and distributes the steel
to one or more open-ended, water-cooled copper molds, where solidification begins. A shroud
protects the steel from oxidation during the transfer.
Upon contact with the mold, an outer skin or shell is
immediately formed. Sticking of the steel to the mold
surface is prevented by mold oscillation. After exiting
the mold, complete freezing of the molten core is
achieved through secondary cooling, using direct water
spray. The distance from the mold to the location of
complete freezing is known as the metallurgical
length. Finally, as the cast slab moves beyond the
secondary cooling zone, it is cut to the desired length
using a torch or shear mounted on a sliding frame.
Early continuous casting strands were of the vertical
design, where all of these components were simply
aligned in an upright configuration. To reduce the
overall height and the required tundish elevation,
several different configurations were developed, as
shown in Fig. 5.5. These modifications permitted
installation of continuous casting strands in existing
plants.