Liquid Metal Model Experiments for Continuous Casting of Steel Under the Influence of Magnetic Fields

Magnetic fields are widely applied in the continuous casting process to modify the flow pattern in the mold and thereby improve the quality of the semi-finished product. While the use of Electromagnetic Brakes (EMBr) is common in slab casting, Electromagnetic Stirring (EMS) is mainly applied in bloom and billet casting and recently also in slab casting. Due to the harsh conditions in the real casting process, model experiments in cold liquid metals enable accurate measurements of velocity fields, surface oscillations, gas bubble characteristics, etc. These models improve understanding the effects of electromagnetic actuators and provide data to validate numerical models.

We present experimental results obtained in a model of a continuous caster, the Mini-LIMMCAST facility, where the velocity field is measured by Ultrasound Doppler Velocimetry (UDV). Results of experiments conducted with EMS in a round bloom geometry as well as experiments with EMBr in slab geometries are presented.