Tg. Oconnor et Ja. Dantzig, MODELING THE THIN-SLAB CONTINUOUS-CASTING MOLD, Metallurgical and materials transactions. B, Process metallurgy and materials processing science, 25(3), 1994, pp. 443-457
A three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed to compute t
he thermomechanical state in the mold of thin-slab continuous casters.
The thin-slab mold differs from those used in conventional slab caste
rs in that the upper portion of the broad side walls defines a funnel-
shaped chamber which allows the nozzle to be submerged into the liquid
metal. The chamber converges with distance down the mold, reducing to
the rectangular cross section of the finished casting near the mold e
xit. The new mold, along with casting speeds up to 6 m/min, allows sla
bs to be cast 50-60 mm thick, compared with 150 to 350 mm in conventio
nal continuous slab casting. However, the mold shape and high casting
speed lead to higher mold temperatures and shorter mold life than are
found in conventional slab casters. In this article, we develop mathem
atical models of the process to determine the role of various process
parameters in determining the mold life. Finite-element analysis is us
ed to determine the temperatures in the mold and cast slab, and these
data are then used in an elastic-viscoplastic analysis to investigate
the deformation of the mold wall in service. Cyclic inelastic strains
up to 1.75 pct are found in a region below the meniscus along the funn
el edge. These large strains result from the combination of locally hi
gh temperatures coupled with geometric restraint of the mold. The defo
rmation leads to short mold life because of thermal fatigue cracking o
f the mold. The computed locations and time to failure of the mold in
fatigue agree very well with observations of the appearance of mold su
rface cracks in an operating caster. The models are also used to devel
op an improved mold design.