Investigating Dynamic Thermal Behavior of Continuous Casting of Steel with CONOFFLINE

A new model, CONOFFLINE, has been developed to simulate transient thermal behavior of a longitudinal section down a continuous steel slab-casting machine. The model was first verified by comparing its predictions of shrinkage through the strand thickness with transient measurements of roll forces in a thick-slab caster during a series of speed changes. The model was then applied to investigate the evolution of temperature and shell thickness in a typical caster after sudden changes in casting speed. Simple equations are proposed to estimate the settling time of metallurgical length and surface temperature during sudden speed changes for both thin- and thick-slab casters. Finally, the influence of different spray cooling control methods on these behaviors during casting speed changes is investigated.