Shape of slab solidification end under non-uniform cooling and its influence on the central segregation with mechanical soft reduction

In order to study the effect of continuous casting process parameters on the shape of slab solidification end under non-uniform cooling, a solidification model of a continuous-cast slab with non-uniform cooling condition was established with ProCAST software. The model was verified by the results of nail shooting tests and the infrared temperature measurement equipment. Four characteristic parameters were defined to evaluate the uniformity of the shape of slab solidification end. The results showed that the nonuniformity at the beginning and end of solidification, the solidification end length, and the solidification unevenness increased with the rise of casting speed. For each 10°C increase of superheat, the solidification unevenness increased by about 0.022. However, the effect of superheat on the solidification end length can be ignored. The secondary cooling strength showed minimal effect on the nonuniformity at the beginning and end of solidification. With the increase in secondary cooling intensity, the solidification end length decreased, but the solidification unevenness increased. In addition, the central segregation of the slab produced with and without the mechanical soft reduction (MSR) process was investigated. The transverse flow of molten steel with low solid fraction influenced the central segregation morphology under MSR.