Boost Tundish Life: Key Strategies for Continuous Casting Efficiency

Enhancing Continuous Casting Tundish Life: Key Measures and Strategies

Introduction

The continuous casting tundish plays a pivotal role in the steel production process, directly influencing the number of continuous casting furnaces in a single ladle. However, the instability of tundish life can lead to increased production costs and operational inefficiencies. This article delves into the critical factors affecting tundish life and outlines effective measures to enhance its durability and performance.

Factors Affecting Tundish Life

Several factors contribute to the deterioration of the continuous casting tundish:

1. Severe Erosion in the Impact Zone: The working layer in the impact zone undergoes significant erosion during the pouring process.

2. Floating of the Impact Plate: This can lead to uneven wear and tear.

3. Expansion of the Working Layer: This can cause material collapse, further reducing tundish life.

Measures to Improve Tundish Life

1. quality of Dry Materials

• Analysis and Comparison: Regularly analyze the physical and chemical indexes of dry materials. Focus on the magnesium oxide content, magnesia particle size, and crystallinity.

• Trial and Evaluation: Conduct trials to determine the planned service life of the materials, ensuring an optimal aggregate ratio to maintain the strength of the working layer.

2. Angle of Large Package Casing

• Inclination Control: Adjust the inclination angle of the long casing to 5-10° towards the opposite direction of the outer wall of the impact area. This helps in moving the vortex of the flow field to the middle area of the tundish, reducing erosion.

3. Length and Depth of the Tundish

• Adjustment of Long Sleeve: Modify the length of the long sleeve to control the depth of immersion into the tundish liquid level. Aim for a stable liquid level with an immersion depth of 200-300mm to minimize erosion.

4. Impact Plate Seams

• Viscosity Control: Ensure the joint material of the impact plate has the right viscosity. After overlapping, rotate the upper impact plate 360° to achieve uniform joint material, preventing gaps.

5. Dry Material Around the Impact Plate

• Manual Filling: Use special tools to manually fill the dry material around the impact plate, avoiding vibration blind zones that weaken strength.

• Height and Design: Keep the dry material higher than the impact plate and design the bottom of the impact area to be concave, enhancing vibration effects and preventing plate floating.

6. Baking Process

• Customized Baking: Develop a baking process tailored to the steel plant's conditions. Extend low and medium heat baking times to improve quality, preventing working layer expansion or collapse post-baking.

Conclusion

Implementing these measures can significantly enhance the life of the continuous casting tundish, leading to more stable production and reduced costs. Regular analysis, proper material selection, and precise control of operational parameters are key to achieving optimal tundish performance.