Continuous casting

Molten steel is poured into a water-cooled copper mold, and the solidified surface is cooled by spraying water on it while being pulled out by rolls, in a continuous, direct production method. Compared to the normal ingot-making method, which creates an ingot once, this method saves energy and labor, improves steel yield, and is better for the working environment, as it does not require the processes of soaking and dividing the ingot. It was industrialized relatively early for aluminum and copper, but its practical application was delayed for steel, which has a high melting point and low thermal conductivity. When it was first industrialized, there were many restrictions on the types of steel that could be used, and there were many problems such as center segregation, inclusions, center cracks, and surface cracks, which limited its spread. However, the adoption of vibration casting, slag powder, sealing of the injection flow, submerged nozzles, electromagnetic stirring, and other various operating techniques were developed and improved, and as a result, the types of steel that could be used expanded, and due to its excellent quality control, it quickly became popular from around 1970. It is used to solidify molten steel, except for small-scale production and special steels.

[Iguchi Yasutaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

溶鋼を水冷銅製鋳型に流し込み、凝固した表面に水を吹き付け冷却しつつロールにより引き抜き、連続的に鋳片を直接製造する方法。鋳塊をいったんつくる普通造塊法に比べ均熱、分塊の工程を省けて省エネルギー、省力化、鋼の歩留り向上、さらに作業環境に優れている。アルミニウム、銅などには比較的早くから工業化されたが、鋼は融点が高く熱伝導率も低く、その実用化が遅れた。工業化当初は適用鋼種に多くの制限があったり、中心偏析、介在物、中心割れ、表面割れなど多くの問題点があり、その普及に限界があった。しかし、振動鋳造法、スラグパウダー、注入流のシール、浸漬(しんし)ノズル、電磁攪拌(かくはん)などの採用、その他各種の操業技術の開発、向上がなされ、それに伴って適用鋼種が拡大し、また、品質管理が優れていることにより1970年ごろから急速に普及した。少量生産や、特別な特殊鋼を除き、溶鋼の凝固に使用されている。

［井口泰孝］

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