Module-1

Casting Defects in Slab

Pabitra Palai
Flat Product Technology Group (FPTG)
Tata Steel Ltd. Jamshedpur
Power Point Presentation : Employee Training Centre, Dt: 25/05/2011 (11.00 AM-1230 PM
Copyright 2011 Tata Steel Ltd., India. All rights reserved.

Outlines
Continuous casting and Definitions
Casting Defects : An overview
Solidification of Steel; Numerical Equations
Role of Constituents on casting characteristics

Defects from Casting

Sticker
Thin Shell
Crack, MLF, Hook Formation

Defects in Products
Surface and Sub Surface Defects
Segregation
Cracks

Shape Defects in Slab : Causes and Remedial measures

Slide 2

Key Definitions
Continuous Casting ; is the process whereby liq. metal is solidified into a "semifinished" billet, bloom, or slab for subsequent rolling in the finishing mills. [Sir
Henry Bessmer-1958]
Casting Defect ; Any unwanted deviation from the customers requirements in
a cast slab during continuous casting results in a defect. Some defects in the
cast products are tolerable while others can be rectified by additional
processes like scarfing etc. The following are the 2 major defects which are
likely to occur in continuous castings:
1. Defects during Process
2. Defect in products/ Metallurgical defects
Slab Casting; The Huge slab casters solidify sections up to 250 mm thick and
2,600 mm wide at production rates of up to three million tons per year.
Sliver; The elongated line type surface defects, termed FeO sliver and found
on rolled coil/sheet. Sliver causes both cosmetic surface imperfection and
forming problem .
Slide 3

Sticker
Thin Shell
Crack
Air entrainment
MLF
Hook Formation

Classification
Process Defects

Defects in Slab

Slab Defects
Internal Defects

Surface defect

Shape Defect

Oscillation Mark

Segregations

Long Bow

Internal Cracks

Camber

Taper
Out of shape

Rhomboidity

NMI
CLS

Trapezoid

Concavity

Bulging

Depressions
Fin

Slide 4

Longitudinal Crack
Blow, Pin hole
Slag spot
Transverse Crack

Bleed
Lap

Casting Defect in Slab

CASTING DEFECTS

Steel Solidification models in Continuous Casting

The solidification models are nonlinear differential equations representing the
conservation of mass, momentum and energy, boundary and initial conditions
which depend on the shape of the slab/ mold, and the cooling system
Fluid flow, Heat transfer, Phase changes, Solid mechanics and
Electromagnetics
One-dimensional heat conduction equation
Where, K is the thermal conductivity (W/m K), c the specific heat (J/kg K), the density
(kg/m3), q is the rate of energy generation (W/m3), T the temperature (K), t the time
(s), and x the rectangular coordinate (m).

The release of latent heat

where L is the latent heat (J/kg), fs the

local solid fraction (%)

The fraction of solid in the mushy zone

where Tf is the melting temperature (K), Tl the liquidus temperature (K), and k0 the
partition coefficient
Slide 6

Shell Growth
Steel shell growth can be predicted using Ficks law
Slab Length (L) = V x (D/K)2
Where L, slab length in m,
V is the casting speed, m/min
D is shell thickness, m
K is solidification constant depends on steel grade and M/c design

Fig. Temp profile from slab

surface : K. Bruce

Fig. : Calculated and measured solidifying shell

thicknesses [R. Pierer ,BHM, 150. Jg (2005)]
Slide 7

Fig.: The shell thickness vs length from meniscus for Al7wt % Si at different conditions of casting speed, (Q= 4
m3/hr, d = 5 cm) [Y. Rihan etal, OJMSW10-0025].

CE and Ferrite potential

For a multicomponent alloy system effect of various elements is considered in
equivalence to carbon by the formula:
C=%[C]+0.04[%Mn]+0.1[%Ni]+0.7[%N]-0.14[%S]-0.4[%Cr]0.1[%Mo]-0.24[%Ti]-0.7[%Si]
Ferrite potential is defined as the ferrite fraction
Fp=2.5(0.5-C)
Fp>1 -hypoperitectic steel
Fp<1 -hyperperitectic steel

Slide 8

Effect of Alloying elements

Sulphur (S):
Effects ductility at two temperature, near solidus and below 1200oC.
At Solidus S~0.03% reduces strength and ductility by half.
At 1200oC liquid sulphides at austenitic grain boundaries affect ductility
If Mn:S>60, steel is not embrittled ,as all S is tied to Mn.
Phosphorous(P):
Loss of ductility due to low MP liquid film in the interdendritic region
Responsible for hot tears
Calcium (Ca):
Mitigating influence on cracking sensitivity
Removes S by CaS formation, speeds up final solidification and reduces
Brittle temp range .Act as nuclei on which MnS precipitates
Aluminum(Al):
Precipitation of AlN at grain boundary in the form of a film reduces ductility
drastically
Cr, Ni: Worsen crack sensitivity
Silicon(Si): Improves crack susceptibility
Slide 9

Continuous Casting and Defects

More than 90% of steel production is through continuous casting route

Sticker
Thin Shell
Crack
Air entrainment
MLF
Hook Formation

Fig.: Schematic of continuous casting phenomena in mold [B.G. Thomas 03]

Slide 10

Online prediction of Casting Defect

Fig-1

Fig.: Defect prediction in continuous casting [Matsushita etal; US Patent88]

Slide 11

Sticker in Continuous casting

Sticker
Sticker is a casting abnormality during which solidifying slab
sticks to the mold wall and may lead to b/o if no precaution is
taken.
Restricted flow of slag between mold/strand gap leads to loss
of lubrication.
Sticker Appearance on Slab

Fig.: Ripple mark s on slab surface due to sticker B/O, Steel making conference proceedings, 1993

Sticker Formation Mechanism

Inadequate/Insufficient Lubrication
Slag rim Formation
Mold level fluctuation
Biased Flow

Metal Chemistry
Slag Basicity & Fluidity
Fig.: Sticker formation stages, Steel making conference proceedings, 1993

Sticker Detection through BDS

Fig.: Temperature profile at different thermocouple layer during

sticker B/out

Fig. Characteristic temperature profile history for sticker

breakouts and their detection systems [E. Szekeres1993].

Impact of Sticker
Loss of Productivity
Drastic speed reduction to 0.15m/min
Associated damage to machinery due abrupt speed change
In case of break out
Poor quality Casting
Down grading of slab due to speed change
Ripple mark appearance in S/C requires rework
Metallurgical changes in casting
Cost : (531 Lakhs/Annum)
To reduce the rejection (Last 6 months) from 1.02 % to 0.20 %
Cost incurred on a/c of DG, BO, B/D time
Failure to supply compliance to customers etc.
Precaution to avoid sticker B/O
Casting speed reduced to 0.15 m/min) to heel the slab surface then gradually
revert back to original speed

Local Thin Shell

Local Thin Shell: In the process of continuous casting of steel, sometimes the

shell doesnt solidify to the required thickness. When shell thinning is limited to a
small area of the strand, it is referred to as Local Thin Shell.

Possible reasons :

Fig. Schematic of thermal profile in continuous casting mold

Biased flow due to SEN port

clogging or alignment can locally
retard shell growth.
Uneven distribution and infiltration
of mould flux between the strand
and the mould wall.
Steel chemistry, Superheat and
solidification behaviour
Mould flux thermal behaviour
Argon flow rate
Casting Speed
Mould condition and life

Temperature distribution in Cu mold

Fig.: Temperature distribution & super heat removal

BG Thomas, IST06 & Bai2000
Slide 17

Fig.:Breakout shell thickness profiles and corresponding

model predictions, showing thin shell near location of jet
impingement on narrow face, relative to steady shell growth
down the wide face.27

Solidification and Shrinkage of Steel

There are three distinct stages of shrinkage as molten metals solidify:

1.
2.
3.
*

Liquid shrinkage,
Liquid-to-solid shrinkage or Solidification Shrinkage
Solid shrinkage-Thermal contraction
Shrinkage is decided by composition and Liquidus temperature of steel.

Linear expansion coefficient (TLE) & Shrinkage:

1. Phase transformation processes dependent upon the carbon content
2. Large difference in the shrinkage behaviour between the various grades of steel wrt to C
content
3. TLE for Low carbon steel (0.05% C) is calculated to be 213 10-6 K-1, while the TLE of
0.60% carbon steel is shown to be 19.88 10-6 K-1.
[Jhu L.G., IMSM2007]

Steel Chemistry & Shrinkage

Fig. : Solidification shrinkage curves in the round billets along the height of mould
Slide 19

Mould Taper

Mould taper
12CrMoV, X42)

Mould taper in
(B72LX, ER70S6)

Mould taper (37Mn5V)

SC 104 grade (Ultra Low Carbon ) reported without any LTS in 23 heats cast with 1.2% taper.
In SA413, % of LTS increased with 1.2% taper.

Steel Chemistry and Solidification

Temperatures in bottom region of the mould are higher for IF steel grades
because of high liquidus temp. around 1537C which is around 10C higher
than peritectic grades. Temperatures of bottom layer T.C.s are around 132C
at higher speeds.

Temperatures of some T.Cs increased more than others because they are
located at the place where hot metal from SEN impinges on the shell.
Fig.: Liquidus Temp Difference in IF & Peritectic grade 15 oC approx.

Thermal Cracks
Look line white lines and in extreme cases looks like sliver . Under SEM it looks as
bas-relief, Presence S on EDAX.
In SA413, % of LTS increased with 1.2% taper.

Fig.: Steel chemistry and surface crack in slab [C.Genzano etal. ISS conference2002]
Slide 22

Temperature variation across Con-cast Mold

Fig. Temperature variation across the Cu mold during continuous casting of Steel
Slide 23

Air Entrainment
1. Inclusions, bubbles, slag and other particles during solidification of steel products is a
critical quality concern leading to rework or rejection of slab
2. Open-stream pouring produces the worst air entrainment problems
3. Leaks, cracks, inadequate sealing between the nozzle joints /porous nozzle material
4. The internal pressure in the nozzle below atmospheric pressure tends to aspirate outside
air and can be identified by nitrogen pickup and dendritic inclusions from reaction in a
high-oxygen environment

Fig.: Oxygen content along the slab

centerlines (100-m inclusions).
Slide 24

Fig.: Optimizing argon gas injection (for a 78-mm bore

nozzle with 90 slide gate). Bai.H 2000

Mold Level Fluctuation & Solidification

Fig.: Comparison of predicted and measured top surface liquid

levels in steel [Yuan Q, Met. Trans-B04]

Fig.: Events during a severe level drop (20 mm for 0.6 second)
that lead to a transverse surface depression.BG Thomas96

Slide 25

Hook Formation
Hook forms when meniscus freezes and overflow
Associated with oscillation mark and plagues ultra low
C steel grades
Subsurface hook formation leads to slab surface
defect due to entrapment of mold flux and inclusion
laden gas bubbles up to 3 mm from slab s/c.
Hook is of 3 types and shape is affected by thermal
distortion and other mechanisms.
Hook formation is greatly affected by steel grade,
super heat, MLF and oscillation conditions

Slide 26

Fig.: Typical hook shape (right) and comparison of hook-shell

thickness with shell thickness prediction from CON1D
(left).[Shin HJ, TMS04]

Casting defect in steel slab

SURFACE DEFECTS

Surface and Sub surface Defects

Slide 28

Crack Formation Mechanism

Steel with carbon level of 0.08-0.14% is susceptible to cracks due to peritectic
reaction at ~1500 C.
Peritectic reaction: -Fe + liquid = -Fe
Density of -Fe is higher than -Fe so shrinkage will occur during solidification
Shrinkage in shell leads to non uniform shell formation.
In mold, phase during peritectic reaction makes grain coarse and plasticity of
shell reduces.
Difference in thermal shrinkage between and Fe leads to tensile strain/stress
in shell which along with uneven heat transfer in the transverse direction leads
to uneven shell thickness in transverse direction.
Above stress is relieved by crack formation.

Remedies of Cracks
The usually adopted strategy is reduction of the stresses by keeping the thickness
of the shell to a minimum. This is achieved by reducing the horizontal heat transfer.
Reduction in heat transfer is achieved by:
Proper Mould Powder selection: -increase thickness of the solid layer of slagcrystallinity of the solid slag layer. Crystalline powder reduces conductivity of
heat-high basicity of powder increases crystallinity and increases softening
point.
Mould Oscillation:-Increase of oscillation frequency of mould results in better
larger infiltrated slag thickness, thus less cracks.
Proper Mould Design: -Multi taper mould to accommodate solidification
shrinkage thus reducing air gaps-Grooved mould surface: results in reduction of
heat transfer at meniscus.-high basicity of powder increases crystallinity and
increases softening point.
Proper SEN Design:-to reduce mold level fluctuations
Slide 30

Longitudinal Facial Crack (LFC)

Appear in the off-mid portion of slab

It occurs on the slab surface parallel to casting direction
Length may vary extend up to several centimetres
Depth can vary from 3 to 5mm and can go as deep as 15cms!
Width from 0.2mm to over 5mm.
Occurrence of LFC varies from 5-20% in cast slab depending on grade.

Effect of LFC
LFC visible on slab surface appears as
Light single line and sometimes multiple line type sliver on product
Needs inspection of slabs and repairing, sometime may lead to downgrading

Lowers slab availability

There are reports of sliver from LFC

Effect of LFC
Repair of LFC and Sliver Analysis

Fig.: Longitudinal Crack repairing

Fig. Met Lab Analysis of Sliver from Longitudinal Crack

Slide 32

Transverse Crack
Mechanism
Generated by longitudinal tensile strains at the surface in the mould due to
high friction or in the sub mould during straitening or bending.
Cause
Stress generation in the depressed portion of oscillation mark. Often
found along deep oscillation mark.
Uneven variation of heat flux in the longitudinal direction due to
improper mould powder
Excessive mold taper.
Mold level fluctuation
Steel composition

Remedy
Proper choice of flux and higher flux consumption.
Proper mold taper.
Control of mold level fluctuation
Proper uniform cooling to avoid the low ductility temperature range.
Slide 33

Effect of Transverse Crack

Fig.: Propagation of transverse crack during hot rolling

Slide 34

Star Crack
Star cracks appear in star pattern on the slab surface. It can be single or in
cluster (spider web type). These are visible only after light scarfing i.e., after
removal of 2-3mm of surface.
Mechanism
Preferential concentration of elements such as Cu on the surface of the
strand due to pick up from the mould.
Embrittlement of the austenite grain boundary due to liquid copper in
conjunction with tensile stresses.

Cause
High Cu levels (>0.15%)
Remedies
Coating of mould walls
Adjust mould alignment

Slide 35

Internal Cracks in Slab

Slide 36

Internal Cracks
Segregation
Steel Composition
Improper Cooling
Super heat

Segregation is more at higher superheat

Mid -Way Cracks

Cause
Surface Re-heating in or below the spray chamber
High Superheat
S & P > 0.02 %
Remedy
Adjust spray system to minimize re-heating
Lower Superheat
Lower P & S
Slide 37

Internal Cracks
Triple -Point Cracks
Causes
Bulging of Wide Portion of the slabs
Decreasing Mn< 0.9%
Decreasing Mn/S < 30
Remedies
Re-gap rolls

Centre-Line Cracks
Causes
Bulging of Wide Face
Spray Water Intensity
Low roll alignment in the strand
Remedies
Re-gap Rolls
Reduce Casting Speed
Increase Spray Cooling
Slide 38

Internal Cracks
Diagonal Cracks
Causes
Asymmetric cooling in mould and sprays
High Superheat
Predominant in billets
Remedies
Install Corner rolls at the bottom of the mould
Check alignment between mould and roller apron
Look for plugged nozzles

Slide 39

Casting defect in steel slab

SHAPE DEFECTS

Bulging
Definition
It is the distortion of the slab giving rise to concave surface/surfaces. This
occurs usually due to inadequate support of the skin against the effects of
Ferro static pressure.
Causes
High casting speed
High casting superheat and high mold temperature
Improper mold taper leading to poor cooling
Inadequate roll pressure
High teeming rate and biased flow
Inadequate mold design
Distortion or wear of mold
Fast or uneven cooling in the mold as well as secondary cooling
Bending or straightening of slab at too high or too low temperature

Taper
Definition
A convex shape that narrows toward another end of the slab. It is generally
observed in slab due to online width change and some times due to improper
mold design or cooling pattern. Optimum taper in mold is provided in order to
compensate the ingot shrinkage.

Causes
Online width changes made by the continuous caster
Remedies
Selection of optimum width change technology
Proper width measurement

'W1-W2 15mm

Rhomboidity
Definition
Rhomboidity is a shape defect mainly appears in slabs and billets when one diagonal of
the rectangular section is longer than other one. This is formed due to asymmetrical
cooling of the strand. Reduction in shell thickness at meniscus level may reduce
rhomboidity due to equal stress development at all 4 sides, It can be reduced, by
reduction in intermittent heating at any face inside the mold . Flushing can improve the
even cooling all the 4 sides
Cause
Mold deformation
Different water gap between Cu tube and water jacket for opposite or adjacent faces
Mold water quality
Too high casting temperature
Susceptibility to a rhomboidal shape is enhanced in the case of high carbon content,
peritectic grades and high level of tramp elements ( S,P,Cu,Sn)
Bad centering of casting stream in the mold
Inadequate mold taper
Misalignment in mold / foot rolls area

Remedies of Rhomboidity

Mold control and changing if necessary

Mold measurement
Reduction in mold water quantity and adequate water gap
Correct alignment of foot rolls
Use of MEMS
Flushing of the strands
Temperature according to casting speed
Increasing relative casting speed

The reason behind the above point a) and b) are to reduce the shell thickness at
meniscus level so, the stress developed at all 4 sides become even, which is the
main reason for rhomboidity, can be reduced. Also , by doing this we can reduce
the intermittent heating at any face inside the mold . Flushing can improve the
even cooling all the 4 sides.

Long Bow
Long Bow

LB 0.01L
LB

Definition
The long bow is a one piece design and occurs when the split roll bearing are
offset from roll to roll they are inline down the whole of the casting bow. The
reduced heat extraction at the bearing position resulted the heat variation in
stripped pattern.
Causes
Uneven temperature distribution across the slab width
Slab surface temperature variation 100 oC approx. which is visible as stripes on the
strand surface.
Peaks in temp coincided with the split roll bearing positions
Reduced water density in the non optimal spray overlap area

Remedies

Ray Boyle2004

Monitoring the Slab surface temp variation on the casting bow before entry into

straightener
Ideal nozzle positions and spray heights
Adequate heat removal from roll bearing area and intensify the strand surface
temp. deviation.
Support at Centre , Both ends and Three points of the slab

Out of shape

S 0.01W
Definition

Kokubo et al

When the axes of both edging rolls are perpendicular to the advancing direction of

the slab, the slab tends to ascend on one side becoming tilted. slab geometry
resulted is called as out of shape or out of square cross section which is shown in fig.
1. Also shown a typical out of shape defect in Fig.-2.

Causes

The main cause of an out-of-square slab cross-section is the ascension of one side

of the slab. slab Distortion takes place either due to temperature gradients,
loading or a combination thereof.

 Improper slab cutting /problem in TCM

Differences in temperature between the top and bottom surfaces of the slab will

cause the slab to curl. Since slab weight and contact with the base restrict its
movement, stresses are created.
Load stress. Loads on a slab will create both compressive and tensile stresses
within the slab.
Shrinkage and expansion. In addition to curling, environmental temperatures
will cause PCC slabs to expand (when hot) and contract (when cool), which
causes change of slab shape
Remedies
This is generally prevented by using either grooved rolls or tapered rolls with a
bottom collar.
To prevent this ascension, the edging roll at this side is tilted at the angle q
toward the same direction as the advancing direction of the slab. For a
reversing pass, the edging roll is tilted at the angel q0. This action creates a
component of the roll tangential force that pushes the slab down against the
table rolls.

Trapezoid Shape
Definition

TRAPEZOID

'2ED 20mm

ED

Trapezoid shape defect mainly appears in slabs when width at one surface is larger
than other one. This is takes place due to slab withdrawal through curved path by
curvature and straightening of slab with the liquid core. This results difference in
guiding the curved and subsequent straightened slab between the two wide side of
the same slab. As a result the end surface of the slab were inclined relative to each
other rather being parallel which is called as the trapezoid shape. This is also formed
due to asymmetrical cooling of the strand.
Causes

Mold deformation to trapezoidal shape in curved mold casting

Inadequate mold and machine design

Inadequate mold guide and slab acquiring curvature from the mold
Misalignment in mold / foot rolls area

Remedies

Proper design of continuous casting machine and mold.

The mold having main wide wall disposed on the side of the center of curvature of
the slab, which curvature the slab will assume after leaving the mold.
Proper mold guide through and out of curvature or making the mold wide wall larger
than the wall opposite to.

Fins

It is the thin strip of metal protruding approximately at right angle to the

surface of the slab. It is caused by molten steel having run into the open
cracks in the mold.

Causes
Gap between the copper plate in mold
High casting superheat
Loosened/untight bolt during mold assembly
Prolong use of mold
Inadequate mold vibration
Remedies
Flame cutting.
Roll edging.
Pressing

Concavity
It is the distortion of the slab which appears as a concave surface. This
defect is usually attributed due to improper spray cooling pattern.

Causes

Improper secondary cooling

High casting superheat
Improper mold shape
Inadequate roll pressure and roll surface profile
Cooling water quality and volume
Remedies

Avoid the reasons of the defect

And flatten the slab by scarfing

Depressions

Definition
Longitudinal depression

Depression are mainly 2 types. Longitudinal depression is a channel

shaped depression on the face of the slab running in the direction of the
axis. Where as transverse depression is a localized depression on the
slab surface normal to the axis of the slab.
Causes

Uneven lubrication
Very rapid cooling
Low casting superheat
Mold level fluctuation
Remedy

Avoid the reasons of the defect

Transverse depression

Thank You

DISCUSSIONS

Slide 55