Startup and operating experience of the CASTRIP~R Process Nucor Crawfordsville

摘要

Near-net-shape casting of metal products has long been of interest to metallurgists and the metals industry. Obvious savings in equipment plus efficiencies related to hot and cold working as well as reheating have been the main driving force. For more than a decade, BHP Steel and IHI (Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries) collaborated on twin-roll casting design at development facilities in Wollongong, Australia. The codename for this venture was Project 'M' and the project covered laboratory, pilot plant and full-scale development facilities. In 2000, Nucor Corporation joined forces with the team, forming Castrip LLC, a joint venture company aimed at commercializing the new technology. Construction is now complete at Crawfordsville, Indiana, also home to the world's first thin slab caster. Hot commissioning and casting trials began in early May 2002 and the Nucor plant is expected to ramp up commercial production over the next 12 months. For the past decade or so, strip casting of steels has been an interesting technical curiosity for the steelmaking community. Many projects and collaborative efforts have been initiated worldwide; however none has been run at a full commercial level for extended periods. With the construction of the Nucor Castrip facility at Crawfordsville, the direct casting of sheet products will become a commercial reality. The following paper describes some of the key process fundamentals of Castrip technology and provides details on the first installation at Crawfordsville. Physical properties for typical Castrip products are also included.