Improvement in Mould Lubrication through Online Mould Monitoring for Higher Productivity

K Patwari, N Pradhan, N Banerjee, S Ghosh, S Mukhopadhyay, S Rai

The authors are with Research and Development Centre for Iron & Steel, SAIL, Ranchi Contact Details: kuntal@sailrdcis.com

_________________________________________________________________________ Abstract The mould is the core component of continuous caster for primary cooling and initial shell forming of liquid steel. There is a complex interaction of thermomechanical behaviours between mould and strand. The states of heat transfer, solidification, friction and lubrication determine the mould working conditions, furthermore, determine strand surface quality and production capacity of continuous caster. At present, the key of mould monitoring technique is online detection of thermomechanical behaviours, the aim of which is to understand the status of friction, lubrication and heat transfer between mould and strand immediately, in order to improve strand productivity and quality. One of the essential requirements for higher caster productivity is highspeed casting. However, highspeed casting leads to lower mould powder consumption and enhanced mould friction. These enhance cracking, mould sticking and breakouts. Therefore, it is necessary to improve powder consumption and reduce mould friction to avoid shell sticking at higher casting speed. In this context, mould oscillation parameters and mould powder characteristics play a very important role in improving mould lubrication. In the present study, the friction of the mould was measured online by Mould Oscillation Monitoring System and calculated theoretically using mould oscillation parameters and mould powder properties at various casting speed. Mould powder consumption was monitored for various types of powders. The deficiency of mould lubrication in existing conditions was analysed. Higher casting speed was tried with improved mould powder based on measured friction data. Mould powder consumption was monitored and the results indicated higher mould powder consumption and lower friction value even with higher casting speed. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1.0 INTRODUCTION

The present caster operating practices is generally aimed at improving caster productivity through enhancing casting speed. Although higher casting speed increases caster productivity, it reduces mould powder consumption and thereby hinders mouldstrand lubrication [1]. Reduction in mould lubrication increases mouldstrand sticking and results into higher percentage of breakouts. This has tremendous impact on machine availability, operational safety and caster productivity. Various researchers emphasized the importance of optimising the mould powder properties and oscillation characteristics of the mould for improvement in lubrication for reduction of mouldstrand friction and consequent sticking breakout [2]. Highspeed casting reduces powder consumption rate and thus may lead to sticking type breakouts. Improvement in mould lubrication i.e. reduction of mouldstrand friction is, therefore, crucial for increasing casting speed and reduction in shell cracking and breakouts. The thickness of the slag film between the strand and mould controls mould lubrication. The slag film contains a liquid layer adjacent to strand and a solid layer adjacent to the mould wall. The relative thickness depends on the melting point of the powder, casting speed and the heat flux across these layers.

The friction in the mould originates due to the relative motion of mould with respect to solidifying strand in the liquid layer and movement of the solid layer with respect to mould. The former is called liquid friction [3] and the latter is termed solid friction(Fig. 1).

Liquid Friction

Solid Friction
Fig.1 : Mould powder layers during casting Since, liquid friction dominates in the upper portion of the mould where the solidifying strand is very thin and fragile, lowering of this will help in reduction of shell sticking and facilitate in increasing casting speed. The liquid frictional force acting near meniscus of the mould is calculated as shown below: fl = ( Vm Vc ) / dl Where, fl Vm Vc dl = = = = = Liquid friction Viscosity of liquid slag film Mould velocity Casting speed liquid film thickness between strand mould gap (1)

It can be seen from equation (1) that the frictional force is dependent on the viscosity of the mould slag, mould velocity, casting speed and thickness of the liquid slag layer. Mould velocity depends only on the oscillation characteristics of the caster. In addition to aforesaid calculation of mould friction, another way of estimating mould lubrication is the actual measurement of mould powder consumption during casting. In case of low and medium carbon steels, powder consumption of 0.3 kg/m2 has been widely agreed as a minimum requirement of lubrication [4] for conventional slab caster. Powder consumption depends on inmould viscosity of mould slag and oscillation parameters of mould. The other important parameter which influences powder consumption is the oscillation characteristics of the caster. Various workers studied the influence of stroke and frequency of oscillation on mould powder consumption. Decrease in frequency of oscillation [5] and increase in stroke [4,5] increases powder consumption in case of sinusoidal mode of oscillation. This happens due to an increase in positive strip time and reduction in negative strip ratio (NSR)[4,6]. The recent laboratory work carried out by Koichi TSUTSUMI et. al. [6] clearly explained the above findings. He also calculated the frictional force and showed that it decreases with increase in positive strip ratio (PSR). This concept has been applied for improvement in casting speed [8] or decrease in breakout [2]. In the present investigation, the mould friction was measured by Mould Oscillation Monitoring system at various casting speed with different mould powder. Mould powder consumption was also monitored for different powders. Liquid friction of the mould was computed with varied mould oscillation parameters. The analysis indicated the deficiency of mould lubrication at higher casting speed for a particular casting machine. With a view to improve mould lubrication, powder was suitably formulated and resulted in higher mould lubrication even at higher speed. The actual friction measurement of this caster was also indicated improvement in frictional behaviour with the reduction in oscillation frequency. The modified oscillation parameter led to achieve critical powder consumption required for

trouble free casting and an improvement in caster productivity. However, for high speed machine, low speed casting leads to higher and fluctuating frictional value. Lower and stabilised mould friction can be achieved at an optimum speed range. 2.0 2.1 PLANT INVESTIGATIONS Influence of mould oscillation on powder consumption & friction

The effect of oscillation characteristics on powder consumption had been computed and plotted in Fig2. It can be seen that the powder consumption increased as oscillation frequency decreased. The mould powder consumption was around the critical value of 0.3 kg/m2 at the casting speed of ~1.2 m/min. in the premodified oscillation condition i.e. 100X casting speed (Vc). It was therefore presumed that an increase of casting speed beyond 1.2 m/min. might lead to lubrication deficiency. The situation could be further aggravated due to increase in viscosity of mould slag on account of Al2O3 pickup during casting. As is seen from the Fig.2, the powder consumption could be improved well above 0.3 kg/m2 at a speed >1.2 m/min. if the frequency of oscillation is maintained at 80x casting speed.

Fig. 2. Computed powder consumption [6] for various oscillation frequency The friction acting on the solidified shell inside the mould was computed and shown in Fig 3. With the existing oscillation frequency at an estimated maximum Al2O3 pickup of 5%, the friction becomes almost double at higher casting speed due to increase in viscosity of mould slag. This will increase the chances of sticker breakout. It is possible to reduce the friction to the earlier level, if the frequency of oscillation is reduced to 90 x casting speed from the existing level of 100 x casting speed. Further, the proposed change in frequency led to lower NSR (61.49%) which is being practiced in various highspeed casters compared to premodified NSR (69.93%). The effect of proposed change in oscillation frequency on negative strip time was marginal and would unlikely to create any surface defects. Moreover, this effect would automatically be taken care at highspeed casting.

Fig. 3. Computation of mould friction for different oscillation & mould powders

2.2

Development of mould powder for high carbon grades

High carbon (HC) steels (>04%C) have poor mechanical strength, and, to avoid sticker breakouts, a high horizontal heat flux is required, which is obtained by producing a glassy slag film [9,10]. Thus, the degree of crystallinity developed in the mould slag film is to be reduced /eliminated in order to increase horizontal heat flux. In addition to this, molten layer film stability should be very high in order to provide high lubrication requirement of high carbon of grades. For this, powder viscosity should be on the higher side to avoid any film breakage of liquid layer between strand and the mould compared to powder used for low carbon (LC) grades. In order to increase casting speed for high carbon steel slab, it is necessary to have a special quality mould powder, which will able to provide optimum lubrication and stable thermocouple behaviour of breakout prevention system. As cast speed is increased, instability of mould thermocouples increases. Lowering of viscosity of powder would increase powder consumption rate. However, with increase of viscosity, number of breakout alarm increased [11] in high carbon steel. Therefore, a optimum range of viscosity is recommended for casting of high carbon grades. For high carbon steel grades, as the carbon content of the steel chemistry increases, gap between mould wall and the solidifying steel shell becomes smaller; this constricts the flow of liquid slag thus reducing the mould powder consumption rate. In addition, higher viscosity of mould slag compared to the viscosity of the powder of low carbon steel will provide mould slag film stability between the strand and mould gap. Therefore, following properties of mould powder should be used while casting of high carbon steel slab: basicity, viscosity and melting point. 3.0 Plant Trials

Based on aforesaid investigations the following process changes were made. Monitoring of friction value with change in oscillation parameter. Formulation of mould powder for high carbon grades to improve lubrication at higher speed Measurement of mould friction in a high speed caster

Mould friction was measured through Mould Oscillation Monitoring System and mould powder consumption was also monitored to assess the lubrication ability of the modified process parameters. Casting speed was gradually increased from 1.1m/min. to 1.25m/min. for low carbon and 0.7 m/min. to 1.0 m/min. for high carbon grades. Mould friction was measured in a high casting machine to optimise casting speed for high carbon grades. Therefore, following properties of mould powder should be used while casting of high carbon steel slab: basicity, viscosity and melting point. 3.1 3.1.1 INVESTGATIONS WITH MODIFIED OSCILLATION PATTERN Modified oscillation 90 X casting speed:

Fig. 4: Friction value with variation of oscillation frequency Mould strand interfacial friction was measured through mould oscillation monitoring system for a particular casting speed with variation in oscillation frequency. The friction value thus observed as shown in Fig. 4 showed that there is a reduction in friction value as the oscillation frequency is reduced to 90xcasting speed from 100xcasting speed. The

data pertaining to consumption of the mould powder was also collected for the trial heats to assess the influence of the oscillation frequency modification on mould powder consumption. The consumption pattern at different casting speeds is shown in Fig.5. As can be seen, the mould powder consumption was higher than the critical value of 0.30 kg/m2 at maximum speed of 1.25m/min.

Fig. 5. Comparison of mould powder consumption for various oscillation modes 3.2 3.2.1 INVESTIGATION FOR MOULD POWDER FOR HIGH CARBON GRADES Characterisation of existing powder with MOMS

Mould Oscillation enables healing of the early fragile solidifying shell. It also helps in consistent supply of mould slag into mouldstrand gap for reducing friction. Deficiency of these gives rise to increase in friction in the mould and leads to surface defects and breakout in extreme situation. Monitoring of oscillation performance of high carbon steels, which are prone to high instances of breakout and consequently lower casting speeds, using the portable triaxial accelerometerbased[12] system was carried out for existing powder. The approaches consisted of study of friction behaviour while casting of high carbon steel. Normally, the friction is measured from the load increase of the drive motors of the oscillator in terms of force. However, here (MOMS) the friction index is a ratio of the amplitudes of the vibration frequencies >10 Hz and total frequency range. It has been told that the higher frequency vibrations arise from the mouldstrand interactions and are pronounced at higher speeds or improper alignments/lubrication. The friction behaviour during casting of HC grades with existing powder can be seen in Fig. 6.

Fig.6 : Frictional values for casting speed from 0.8 to 0.7m/min

3.2.2

Formulation of new powder

A new mould powder was formulated to improve melting behaviour and consumption rate for better friction. The friction data (Fig. 7) with new mould powder was compared with the friction data (Fig.8) with existing mould powder[13]. The data indicated improved and lower friction i.e. improved mould lubrication with new mould powder.

Fig.7 : Frictional value at 0.9 m/min with new mould powder

Fig8 : Frictional value at 0.86 m/min with existing mould powder

Similar friction analysis was carried out at higher casting speed (~1.0m/min.) for both the powder. This is shown in Fig.9 & 10 respectively.

Fig9 : Friction value at 1.0 m/min with existing mould powder

Fig.10 : Friction value at 1.0 m/min with new mould powder

Comparison of friction data using both the powders (existing as well as new powders) had shown clearly that new powder had lower and consistent friction index compared to existing powder indicating improved lubrication behaviour with new mould powder even at higher casting speed (1.0m/min.). This had been corroborated by improved mould powder consumption (0.45kg/m2) with new mould powder compared to existing mould powder (0.35kg/m2). 3.3 SPEED OPTIMISATION TRIAL FOR HIGH SPEED CASTER

Friction index with respect to casting speed in high speed slab caster was monitored by mould oscillation monitoring system to understand the friction behaviour at various casting speeds [14]. The break out prediction alarm and slab quality was also critically observed during this trial. The friction values at different casting speed were shown in the Fig. 11 below.

Fig. 11: Reduction in mould friction with higher cast speed (from 1.2 to 1.3 m/min)

The figure indicates that at low casting speed of 1.25 m/min., the friction index is high and fluctuating. As casting speed is increased to 1.50 m/min. progressively from 1.25 m/min., the friction index is reduced and becomes stable. This is in contrast with the low speed casters where friction index increases with casting speed. Therefore, high speed machines should not be operated at low speed range. 4.0 CONCLUSIONS

Mould lubrication/friction is the most critical parameter to enhance casting speed for higher caster productivity. Mould powder properties, oscillation characteristics and casting speed determine the extent of mould lubrication/friction. Online measurement of mould friction is an effective tool to determine the critical casting speed, oscillation parameters and mould powder properties particularly for casting of high carbon steel. Theoretical computation of mould friction and powder consumption is in the line with powder consumption and actual measurement of mould friction through online mould oscillation monitoring system. 5.0 ACKNOLOGEMENT

The members of the taskforce are thankful to the management of Research and Development Centre for Iron and Steel, Steel Authority of India Limited for the permission to publish the work. REFERENCES: [1] [2] [3] K.C. Mills, Mold operation for quality and productivity, Process technology division, Steelmaking Conference Proceedings, ISS,1991, pp. 8593. Peter Andrzejewski, Alfons Drastik, KarlUlrich Kohler, Wolfgang Pluschkell, New aspects of oscillation mode operation and results in slab casting, 9th PTD Conference Proceedings, AIMEISS, 1990, pp.173181. Mikio SUZUKI, Hideaki MIZUKAMI, Toru KITAGAWA, Kiminari KAWAKAMI, Shigetaka UCHIDA and Yoshimi KOMATSU, Development of a new mold oscillation mode for highspeed continuous casting of steel slabs, ISIJ International, Vol. 31, 1991, No.3, pp. 254261. O.D.Kwon, J.Choi, I.R.Lee, J.W.Kim, K.H.Moon, Y.K.Shin, Optimisation of mould oscillation pattern for the improvement of surface quality and lubrication in slab casting, Steelmaking Conference Proceedings, ISS,1991, pp. 561568. Manfred M. Wolf, Mold oscillation guidelines, Steelmaking Conference Proceedings, ISS,1991, pp.5171.

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