Prediction of alumina pick-up by continuous casting mould slags

Mould powders, fluxes and slags are used in continuous casting of steels for various purposes including mould lubrication. It has been observed that pick-up of alumina by mould slag takes place during the casting process, resulting in changes to the composition and properties of the mould slag. An effort has been made in the present work towards developing models for predicting the changes in composition and for predicting the effect of such reactions on slag lubrication. It is expected that for steel grades with relatively high tendency for sticker breakouts, such analyses will be useful in designing improved mould powders and mould slags, which will perform well despite the pick-up of alumina during casting.