Jung-Wook Cho

Effect of solidification of mold fluxes on the heat transfer in casting mold

Abstract Crystallization of molten mold flux film has been observed using a confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) with an infrared furnace. The observation has indicated that mold flux of larger basicity (CaO/SiO 2 =1.41) starts crystallizing directly in liquid phase at temperatures >1373 K, and shows a faster growth rate of crystalline than that of smaller basicity (CaO/SiO 2 =0.96). Cross-section of solidified fluxes shows that the shrinkage due to the crystallization is more for larger basicity flux than for smaller one. This difference implies that thermal resistance at mold/mold flux film interface arises from the solidification and crystallization of the flux film.

Crystallization Behaviors of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-Na2O-CaF2-(Li2O-B2O3) Mold Fluxes

The effects of basicity (CaO/SiO2), B2O3, and Li2O addition on the crystallization behaviors of lime-silica-based mold fluxes have been investigated by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and single hot thermocouple technique. It was found that the crystallization temperature of cuspidine increased with increasing the basicity of mold fluxes. The crystallization of wollastonite was suppressed with increasing the mold flux basicity due to the enhancement of cuspidine crystallization. The addition of B2O3 suppresses the crystallization of mold flux. The crystallization temperature of mold flux decreases with Li2O addition. The size of cuspidine increases, while the number of cuspidine decreases with increasing mold flux basicity. The morphology of cuspidine in mold fluxes with lower basicity is largely dendritic. The dendritic cuspidine in mold fluxes is composed of many fine cuspidine crystals. On the contrary, in mold fluxes with higher basicity, the cuspidine crystals are larger in size with mainly faceted morphology. The crystalline phase evolution was also calculated using a thermodynamic database, and compared with the experimental results determined by DSC and XRD. The results of thermodynamic calculation of crystalline phase formation are in accordance with the results determined by DSC and XRD.

Phase-field modelling of the thermo-mechanical properties of carbon steels

The high temperature stress model for continuously cast steels has been developed. The effect of dendritic morphology on the mechanical strength of carbon steels has been investigated for the first time with a thermodynamically based calculation of dendritic morphology by a phase-field model. The characteristic solid fraction at the liquid impenetrable temperature (LIT) was evaluated as 0.9 by investigating the contact behavior of secondary arms during unidirectional solidification of δ and γ phases. Geometrical hardening of the mushy zone due to the contact and combining of dendrite arms has been evaluated using a geometrical hardening parameter defined as the contact ratio between adjacent secondary arms in the transverse cross section of primary arms. The critical solid fraction at zero strength temperature (ZST) was evaluated as 0.65 from the minimum non-zero contact ratio. The calculated critical fracture strength with the stress model for steels in a mushy zone describes the measured tensile strength well.

Assessment of heat transfer through mold slag film considering radiative absorption behavior of mold fluxes

Controlling the heat transfer rate from solidifying shell to copper mold is one of the important role of mold flux film during continuous casting of steels. It is highly desirable to regulate the thermal resistance of mold flux film not to exceed the critical quantity of mold heat transfer rate to prevent cast steel products from surface defects. In order to examine the effect of thermal radiation on the overall heat transfer rate through slag film in the continuous casting mold, the absorption coefficient has been investigated for various mold fluxes using a UV and an FT-IR spectrometer, followed by numerical calculations based on gray gas assumption. It is estimated that the heat transfer rate will decrease in 2-4% by addition of 3.2 mass% NiO into the conventional mold flux system with basicity (CaO/SiO2) of 1.07. As the increase of absorption coefficients will not be harmful to any casting performances such as friction in a casting mold, it is highly recommended to enhance the thermal radiative absorption behavior of mold slag film by optimizing the chemistry of mold fluxes, especially in the wavelength range of 1 to 3 µm at which the emitted energy intensity from steel shell will be maximized.

Effect of SiO2 on the Crystallization Behaviors and In-Mold Performance of CaF2-CaO-Al2O3 Slags for Drawing-Ingot-Type Electroslag Remelting

The crystallization characteristics of CaF2-CaO-Al2O3 slags with varying amounts of SiO2 were experimentally studied. The effects of slag crystallization behaviors on the horizontal heat transfer and lubrication performance in drawing-ingot-type electroslag remelting (ESR) were also evaluated in terms of as-cast ingots surface quality and drawing-ingot operation. The results show that increasing SiO2 addition from 0 to 6.8 mass pct strongly suppresses the crystallization of ESR type CaF2-CaO-Al2O3 slags. The crystallization temperature of the studied slags decreases with the increase in SiO2 addition. The liquidus temperatures of the slags also show a decreasing trend with increasing SiO2 content. In CaF2-CaO-Al2O3-(SiO2) slags, faceted 11CaO·7Al2O3·CaF2 crystals precipitate first during continuous cooling of the slag melts, followed by the formation of CaF2 at lower temperatures. 11CaO·7Al2O3·CaF2 was confirmed to be the dominant crystalline phase in the studied slags. CaF2-CaO-Al2O3 slags with a small amount of SiO2 addition are favorable for providing sound lubrication and horizontal heat transfer in mold for drawing-ingot-type ESR, which consequently bring the improvement in the surface quality of ESR ingot and drawing-ingot operating practice as demonstrated by plant trials.

Kinetics of Isothermal Melt Crystallization in CaO-SiO2-CaF2-Based Mold Fluxes

A kinetic study for isothermal melt crystallization of CaO-SiO2-CaF2-based mold fluxes with different basicity of 0.94 and 1.34 has been carried out systematically by DSC measurements. The kinetic parameters were determined by Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation. The average Avrami exponent of cuspidine (3CaO·2SiO2·CaF2) crystallization for mold flux of lower basicity (0.94) is calculated to be 3.1, implying that the crystallization mode is instantaneous nucleation followed by 3-dimensional growth. For the mold flux of higher basicity (1.34), the average Avrami exponent of cuspidine equals to 3.4, strongly suggesting that the growth is still 3 dimensional but the nucleation should be continuous. It was found that the effective crystallization rate constant for both mold fluxes increases as the crystallization temperature decreases, showing that the crystallization rate could be governed by nucleation rate. The negative effective activation energy indicates an anti-Arrhenius behavior for crystallization of the mold fluxes studied. Therefore, it is concluded that the melt crystallization for the commercial mold fluxes will be determined by thermodynamics of nucleation which is relevant to degree of undercooling. The morphology of cuspidine crystals observed by SEM agreeds well with the isothermal crystallization kinetics results.

Effect of TiO2 on the viscosity and structure of low-fluoride slag used for electroslag remelting of Ti-containing steels

The viscosity of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–MgO–(TiO2) slag was measured using a rotating crucible viscometer. Raman spectroscopy analysis was performed to correlate the viscosity to slag structure. The viscosity of the slag was found to decrease with increasing TiO2 content in the slag from 0 to 9.73wt%. The activation energy decreased from 95.16 kJ/mol to 79.40 kJ/mol with increasing TiO2 content in the slag. The introduction of TiO2 into the slag played a destructive role in Al–O–Al structural units and Q4 units by forming simpler structural units of Q2 and Ti2O64− chain. The amount of Al–O–Al significantly decreased with increasing TiO2 content. The relative fraction of Q4 units in the [AlO4]5−-tetrahedral units shows a decreasing trend, whereas the relative fraction of Q2 units and Ti2O64− chain increases with increasing TiO2 content accordingly. Consequently, the polymerization degree of the slag decreases with increasing TiO2 content. The variation in slag structure is consistent with the change in measured viscosity.

Fluoride evaporation and crystallization behavior of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–(TiO2) slag for electroslag remelting of Ti-containing steels

To elucidate the behavior of slag films in an electroslag remelting process, the fluoride evaporation and crystallization of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3–(TiO2) slags were studied using the single hot thermocouple technique. The crystallization mechanism of TiO2-bearing slag was identified based on kinetic analysis. The fluoride evaporation and incubation time of crystallization in TiO2-free slag are found to considerably decrease with decreasing isothermal temperature down to 1503 K. Fish-bone and flower-like CaO crystals precipitate in TiO2-free slag melt, which is accompanied by CaF2 evaporation from slag melt above 1503 K. Below 1503 K, only near-spherical CaF2 crystals form with an incubation time of less than 1 s, and the crystallization is completed within 1 s. The addition of 8.1wt% TiO2 largely prevents the fluoride evaporation from slag melt and promotes the slag crystallization. TiO2 addition leads to the precipitation of needle-like perovskite (CaTiO3) crystals instead of CaO crystals in the slag. The crystallization of perovskite (CaTiO3) occurs by bulk nucleation and diffusion-controlled one-dimensional growth.

In-depth study of mold heat transfer for the high speed continuous casting process

Mold heat transfer during the commercial high speed continuous casting up to 7 m/min was investigated in order to clarify the influence of various operating conditions such as casting speed, mold flux, mold thickness, thickness and height of mold coated layer and so on. A simple, but practical formula of heat flux has been derived in terms of those operating conditions by analyzing the heat flux data obtained in CEM® (Compact Endless Casting and Rolling Mill) caster based on simplified one dimensional heat transfer model. Especially, impact of mold parameters such as mold thickness, mold coated layer thickness and its height on the heat flux can be linearly expressed in the empirical formula derived. Heat flux ratio (HR), the ratio of the narrow face heat flux to the wide face one, is one of the important indicators to evaluate whether the solidified shell is evenly robust or not. Averaged HR in CEM® caster is around 0.87, which varies according to the caster specifications and operating conditions. It is suggested that the mold taper should be adjusted to maintain the HR as close to 0.87 as possible.

Control of Crystal Morphology for Mold Flux During High-Aluminum AHSS Continuous Casting Process

Abstract In the present manuscript, the efforts to control the crystal morphology are carried out aiming at improving the lubrication of lime-alumina-based mold flux for casting advanced high-strength steel with high aluminum. Jackson α factors for crystals of melt crystallization in multi-component mold fluxes are established and reasonably evaluated by applying thermodynamic databases to understand the crystal morphology control both in lime-alumina-based and lime-silica-based mold fluxes. The results show that Jackson α factor and supercooling are the most critical factors to determine the crystal morphology in a mold flux. Crystals precipitating in mold fluxes appear with different morphologies due to their different Jackson α factors and are likely to be more faceted with higher Jackson α factor. In addition, there is a critical supercooling degree for crystal morphology dendritic transition. When the supercooling over the critical value, the crystals transform from faceted shape to dendritic ones in morphology as the kinetic roughening occurs. Typically, the critical supercooling degrees for cuspidine dendritic transition in the lime-silica-based mold fluxes are evaluated to be between 0.05 and 0.06. Finally, addition of a small amount of Li2O in the mold flux can increase the Jackson α factor and decrease the supercooling for cuspidine precipitation; thus, it is favorable to enhance a faceted cuspidine crystal.