DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING SOLIDIFYING SHELL THICKNESS IN CASTING MOLD

An in-mold solidified shell thickness estimation apparatus according to the present invention includes a heat transfer model calculator that estimates an in-mold solidified shell thickness by calculating temperature distributions of a mold and molten steel inside the mold by solving a three-dimensional unsteady heat transfer equation using a measurement result of a temperature of the molten steel in a tundish of a continuous casting facility, measurement results of a width of a strand being cast and of a casting speed in the continuous casting facility, measurement results of a temperature of a mold copper plate and of an amount of heat removed from the mold in the continuous casting facility, and input values of a chemical composition of the molten steel and of the thickness of the strand; and a model formula and a parameter related to a solidification reaction of the molten steel inside the mold of the continuous casting facility. The heat transfer model calculator then corrects errors in the temperature of the mold copper plate and in the amount of heat removed from the mold by correcting an overall heat transfer coefficient between the mold copper plate and the solidified shell.