Macrosegregation adversely affects the mechanical performance of continuously cast steel slabs. Micro-x-ray flu-orescence with a 20 µm spot size enables rapid elemental analysis. This study investigates the spatial distribution of manganese, silicon and aluminum in thin-slab caster samples using a Bruker M4 Tornado system. The combi-nation of fundamental parameter calibration and quantification of pixels within the map processing enabled accu-rate quantification of elemental variations. The results were further validated through multiscale analyses using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The optimized methodology provides an efficient and reliable approach for quantitative segregation assessment.

United States Steel Corporation elected to implement HD Scan ultrasonic technology for the evaluation of as-cast samples in order to replace outdated and hazardous inspection methods and to achieve a more comprehensive and quantitative assessment of internal product quality. HD Scan provides objective, reproducible data on internal defects, segregation and solidification structure. This article describes the implementation of the HD Scan system at Fairfield Tubular Steel Operations and presents representative initial results for both round bloom and slab samples.

To replace the manual oxygen lancing in the unclogging ladle slidegates in continuous casting, a safety device was implemented to allow a shrouded oxygen opening. Besides significantly improving operator safety, the de-vice also reduces steel exposure to the atmosphere. To assess the impact on steel quality, inclusion analysis was conducted on slab transversal samples using scanning electron microscopy, classifying inclusions by type, size and applying the Gumbel Extreme Value Statistics. Adopting the plant’s most stringent quality criteria, 79% of the affected slabs met acceptance thresholds, confirming that cleanliness levels remained within acceptable limits under these operating conditions.

The full-scale water model for a steel continuous casting mold at the University of Toronto simulates fluid flow inside an industrial caster mold at various casting conditions. It is instrumented with sensors that provide single-point measurements of water velocity and level on both sides of the submerged-entry nozzle (SEN). A particle image velocimetry device provides velocity measurements within two-dimensional areas of interest inside the mold. Additionally, bubble shadowgraphy is used to characterize bubbly flows by determining bubble count and size distribution. To the authors’ knowledge, they have fabricated the first full-scale SEN with transparent ports to observe and measure bubble behavior near the port exit and away from it. This article will present key results and conclusions from measurements obtained using the mold water model.