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July 2008
Vol. 5, No. 7
Continuous Casting

About the Cover

Dynamic Soft Reduction of Continuously Cast Slabs
Dewey M. Humes, manager — continuous casting technology, Matt J. Korzi, Bruce A. Kozak (pictured), principal engineer — commissioning & process technology, and Joseph T. Laughlin, SMS Demag Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. (dewey.humes@sms-demag.us, matt.korzi@sms-demag.us, bruce.kozak@sms-demag.us, joseph.laughlin@sms-demag.us)

This paper explains the soft reduction process and the application of automation, process technology and secondary cooling influences on the process. Possible methods for reducing centerline conditions on existing machines are also introduced.

Production of High-Aluminum Steel Slabs
Stuart Street (pictured), senior metallurgist, Keegan James, metallurgist, Nicole Minor, product development metallurgist, Andrew Roelant, metallurgist, and James Tremp, process metallurgist continuous caster, SeverStal North America Inc., Dearborn, Mich. (sstreet@severstalna.com, kjames@severstalna.com, nminor@severstalna.com, aroelant@severstalna.com, jtremp@severstalna.com)

In 2006, SeverStal NA began a program to fast-track the development of TRIP steel grades. Tactics developed during metallurgical workshops translated to successful production of high-aluminum TRIP slabs. These tactics, production history and subsequent quality evaluations are discussed in detail.

Investigating Mold Heat Transfer in Thin Slab Casting With CON1D
Begoña Santillana (left), researcher, Arie Hamoen and Willem van der Knoop, Corus RD&T SCC/CMF, IJmuiden, The Netherlands (begona.santillana@corusgroup.com, arie.hamoen@corusgroup.com, willem.van-der-knoop@corusgroup.com); Brian G. Thomas (center) and Lance C. Hibbeler (right), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill. (bgthomas@uiuc.edu, lhibbel2@uiuc.edu); and Arnoud Kamperman, Corus Strip Products IJmuiden, Direct Sheet Plant, IJmuiden, The Netherlands (arnoud.kamperman@corusgroup.com)

A 3-D finite element model is applied to find factors that enable CON1D to predict temperature at thermocouple locations. The improved CON1D model is applied to predict casting behavior for different speeds and to investigate the effect of mold plate thickness.

The CASTRIP® Process — An Update on Process Development at Nucor Steel’s First Commercial Strip Casting Facility
Michael Schueren, Castrip plant manager, and Peter Campbell (left), Castrip sales and marketing manager, Nucor Steel, Crawfordsville, Ind. (michael.schueren@nucor.com, peter.campbell@nucor.com); Walter Blejde (center), director of technology, and Rama Mahapatra (right), principal metallurgist, Castrip LLC, Charlotte, N.C. (wblejde@castrip.com, rmahapatra@castrip.com)

Ultrathin cast strip products from Nucor’s CASTRIP facility are utilized for a range of applications, replacing cold rolled and hot rolled steel sheet. This paper discusses the development challenges faced by the start-up team and provides an update on current casting strategies.

New Strong Strand Stirrer Boosting Quality for Ferritic Stainless Steel
Vincent Lambert, continuous caster & metallurgical department manager, ArcelorMittal Châtelet, Châtelet, Belgium (vincent.lambert@arcelormittal.com); Jean-Marie Galpin (left), senior researcher, ArcelorMittal Maizières Research, Maizières-les-Metz, France (jean-marie.galpin@arcelormittal.com); Helmut R. Hackl (right), vice president metallurgy, and Nils P. Jacobson, ABB AB, Västerås, Sweden (helmut.r.hackl@se.abb.com)

A new box-type strand stirrer has been installed at the ArcelorMittal Châtelet plant in Belgium. In order to optimize the stirring, a 3-D simulation model was developed, simulating flow and temperature fields for different casting conditions.

Calculation of the Peritectic Range for Steel Alloys
Kenneth E. Blazek (top left), principal research engineer, and Oscar Lanzi III (top right), staff research engineer, ArcelorMittal Global Research and Development Laboratory USA, East Chicago, Ind. (kenneth.blazek@arcelormittal.com, oscar.lanzi@arcelormittal.com); Phil L. Gano (bottom left), practice engineer — casters, and Dale L. Kellogg (bottom right), product control engineer, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, Burns Harbor, Ind. (phil.gano@arcelormittal.com, dale.kellogg@arcelormittal.com)

Peritectic predictor equations were developed to predict the carbon range of the peritectic phase region for steel alloys. The development of the equations is described, along with their implementation to improve the continuous casting process.

An Alternative View of Climate Change for Steelmakers
John Stubbles, steel industry consultant (john_stubbles@msn.com)       

The science behind climate change is not settled, and the role of CO2 has yet to be determined. This article puts the latest developments in the climate change debate into perspective for steelmakers.