Comparative analysis of the thermal behavior of blooms and beam-blanks during continuous casting: Development and validation of a mathematical model for heat transfer

The present work explores the feasibility of producing blooms and beam blanks in a continuous casting machine using a single support rollers setup, aiming to eliminate the need for specialized setups for each geometry. The current practice requires frequent roll replacements during production switches, leading to reduced machine availability and safety risks. To assess the viability of the new approach, a 2D mathematical model for heat transfer and solidification was developed for both blooms and beam blanks. Simulations with the current and the new setup were performed, and their results analyzed. The model was validated with experiments during production campaigns at the steel melting shop. The model accurately predicts the casting process, with solid fraction deviation of 6% for blooms and 16% for beam blanks, and temperature difference between the model and thermal imaging measures values are between 20 & DEG;C and 70 & DEG;C. The heat transfer simulation results show that a single rollers setup can yield minimal variations in the temperature related operational parameters, supporting the feasibility of this approach. In addition to the thermal analysis performed in this work, mechanical stress and strain assessments need to be performed to further investigate the suggested solution and they will be the topic of future works. The findings provide valuable insights for the steel industry, as this type of feasibility study is a relatively unexplored area. Furthermore, the models developed can also be used to optimize process parameters, study defects formation during continuous casting and in the development of new products. & COPY; 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).