Thermocouples buried in the mold wall of a continuous caster are used to investigate the nature and source of shell thickness irregularity in middle carbon steel slabs. Fourier analysis is used in conjunction with digital filters to determine the power spectra of time series mold temperature and mold level measurements. Direct evidence is obtained on the physical dimension of irregularity, as well as the phase relationships between neighboring thermocouples in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. In addition, mold thermocouple readings are used to set the boundary heat flux conditions for use in self-consistent mathematical modeling of mold thermal profiles. Temperature readings— average, minimum, and maximum—allow for the calculation of an envelope of shell thicknesses around the average distribution. These techniques are used to help explain a mechanism for the occurrence of shell thickness irregularity, in terms of both meniscus disturbances and shell deflections in response to such disturbances.
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