From a limited system to a more efficient, reliable, and profitable continuous casting line
The continuous casting plant, located in Europe, was launched in the mid-1990s. Designed to produce square sections in high-carbon steels, this line has operated for decades in a traditional configuration. The original system included a mold formed by copper plates assembled onto a base attached to the oscillator. On this assembly, both foot rolls and zone 1 rolls—part of the secondary cooling system—were mounted.
The containment segment consisted of a frame with various roller assemblies interconnected by flexible hoses. Water and air cooling connections between the segment and the fixed part of the machine were made via a connection plate.
Identified Issues
Mold:
The original mold system presented significant challenges. Assembling the copper plates and fitting them onto the mold base required long intervention times in the maintenance area, with a complex and costly final adjustment. In addition, the large number of water inlet and outlet connections further complicated maintenance tasks and increased the risk of leaks. The copper tube length was only 800 mm, which limited potential production increases.
Containment segment:
The initial segment included a large number of rollers that were unnecessary for the section being cast.
Recurrent leaks in the cooling system caused unstable billet cooling, resulting in deformations, loss of straightness, and defects in the final product geometry. On top of this, the secondary cooling system was inefficient—particularly at the mold exit—leading to frequent break-outs, production losses, and a noticeable rise in maintenance costs.
Implemented Solutions
Mold:
To overcome these limitations, a newly designed, one-piece copper tube mold was adopted. This new mold integrates all necessary water conduits internally (primary cooling, secondary cooling, and foot roll cooling), simplifying the system and eliminating the complexities of the previous design. The length of the copper tube was also increased, improving thermal efficiency and reducing the risk of break-outs.
Containment segment:
A more compact and efficient design was introduced. All water connections to the rollers are now internal, eliminating the need for external flexible hoses. The number of rollers was also optimized to match the ideal metallurgical parameters for the cast section.
Results and Benefits
- Significant increase in overall continuous casting production.
- Reduction in downtime and production losses due to break-outs.
- Improved dimensional and geometric quality of the final product.
- Reduction in internal defects.
- Shorter mold maintenance times.
- Reduced intervention time for the containment segment and its components.
- Lower replacement part costs: copper tube is more economical than traditional plates.
