Effect of an Optimized Impact Pad on Molten Steel Quality in a 4-Strand Delta-Shaped Tundish

摘要

Steelmakers have to face enormous challenges to improve liquid steel quality during continuous casting. Proper measures must be taken in order to achieve desired compositions and steel purity. Basically, inclusions contaminate the molten steel and later, they pass into the ingots and can cause minor or major failures during rolling processes in the solid state. As we know, the tundish acts as a buffer and distributor of liquid steel between the ladle and the moulds of the continuous casting machines. As such, the tundish can play an important part in the removal and control of inclusions. To minimize the numbers and sizes of inclusions, one can modify the fluid flow patterns. Currently, this is accomplished by using different types of flow control devices (FCD), such as dams, weirs, baffles, impact pads, turbulence inhibitors, etc. and/or a combination of these. This "furniture" can provide sufficient time for the inclusions to float up and out, into a protective layer of slag, and by generating surface directed flows that can significantly reduce the amount of inclusion entrainment into the moulds.