Optimization of Pulse-Step Method for Liquid Steel Alloying in One Strand Slab Tundish

Abstract

Introduction to the Fe-C-X system: Si, Mn, Al and Nb, Ti, V, B allow the ultimate tensile strength and ductility of steel to be increased at the same time. Therefore, multiphase steels of the TRIP, DP, MART and CP are the steels of the future. The scientific aim of the researches were to obtain new basic information on alloying process of liquid steel in a tundish with the use of the pulse–step method. The facility under investigation was a single outlet tundish being a component of a slab continuous casting machine. Computer simulations of the liquid steel flow and alloy behaviour in turbulent motion conditions were done using the Ansys-Fluent computer program. For generating the computational grids, Gambit program was used. For pulse–step method optimisation two aspects were considered. At first numerical simulations were performed for the selection of the time interval between the pulse feed of the first alloy batch and the continuous feed of subsequent alloy batches in order to maintain the required homogenisation level. Next simulations were done for determination of the mass of the pulse charge that ensures not only the attainment of the 95% homogenisation level, but also the limitation of alloy concentration peaks occurring in the liquid steel and going beyond the 95% homogenisation zone. On the basis of numerical investigations the mixing curves and time mixing for different variants of pulse-step method optimization were obtained.