Improvement of the temperature distribution in continuous casting moulds through the rearrangement of the cooling water slots

The steady-state temperature distributions in two kinds of continuous casting moulds were investigated, taking into account the effects of the properties of the work- and tool-materials, and the boundary conditions corresponding to a specific casting velocity. The main difference between the two kinds of the moulds lay in their cooling water slot system. It is shown that for the mould with modified cooling water slot system, the temperature is distributed more uniformly and the peak temperature value is reduced. Further, the corresponding expansion at the normal direction at the inner surface of the mould is improved. The results indicate that the improved design is beneficial to the increase of the mould life and productivity, as well as improvement of the quality of cast slabs. A comparison between the two sets of results corresponding to two kinds of the cooling water slot systems provides useful information in the optimization of continuous casting mould design. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.