Preface

Excerpt

Continuous casting is one of the most important innovations in the steel industry due to its high yield, high product quality, energy savings, less pollution, lower cost, as well as better working conditions. Over 96% of crude steel in the world was cast by continuous caster. As a very important functional material, mold flux works as several roles in the continuous casting process. It protects liquid steel from oxidation, insulates it from freezing, and absorbs inclusions, when floating on the top of liquid steel; whereas it lubricates the shell and moderates the heat transfer in the mold, when it infiltrates into the mold/shell channel. Therefore, the quality of final cast product is greatly determined by the performance of mold flux. Improper properties may lead to defects in the bloom, slab or billet, such as severe oscillation marks, cracks, inclusions and slag entrapment, improper solidification structure distribution, and even breakout. …