Design of a Novel Physical Simulator for Simulating Solidification Process of Continuous Casting Steel Slab

Aiming at the challenge of reproducing the continuous casting (CC) steel in the laboratory, we developed a novel physical simulator to simulate the solidification process of CC slab. One characteristic physical simulation (PS) sample was obtained from the physical simulator, whose cooling intensity was controlled by cooling water to simulate the heat transfer of the CC slab. The simulation accuracy and reliability were verified by comparing the similarities of surface heat flux and solidification structure between the PS sample and the CC slab. The results demonstrate that the PS sample could accurately reproduce the heat transfer and solidification process of the CC slab. In the mold cooling stage, a similar air gap rapidly formed on both the PS sample and CC slab surface, leading to a similarly sharp reduction in the heat flux. In the stage corresponding to secondary cooling zone, the heat transfer on the PS sample surface via a thickening air gap was also basically similar to that on the CC slab surface through a vapor film, resulting in a similarly slow decrease in the heat flux. Additionally, the PS sample has similar solidification structure characteristics with the CC slab due to heat transfer similarity. Particularly, the crystal zone proportion, columnar to equiaxed transition position, and variation trends of dendrite arm spacing and Mo segregation in both were almost identical.