Niobium HSLA Steels Produced Using The Thin Slab Casting Process: Hot Strip Mill Products, Properties and Applications

摘要

Over four million short tons of microalloyed HSLA steel strip products are now produced annually by the thin slab casting process in North America. Of this, about 1.25 million tons contain niobium. These niobium-bearing thin slab cast steels are routinely produced and sold into a wide range of markets, including transportation, energy, and construction. Microalloyed HSLA steels with yield strengths of 550 MPa are now being successfully produced from thin cast slabs. The product mix attainable by thin slab casting is rapidly approaching that of conventional thick slab casting. This paper reviews the background, product lines and recent metallurgical activities of two of the major producers of thin slab cast niobium-bearing HSLA steel strip products: HYLSA of Monterrey, Mexico and NUCOR Steel-Berkeley of Charleston, SC.