Horizontal single belt casting for the competitive manufacturing of ferrous and light metal alloy sheet material

铝板和钢板产品目前在全球范围内生产，通过连续铸造大板坯，然后在热轧和冷轧机上依次轧制，从而形成薄板材料。这些工艺是能源和人力密集型的，必须被更环保的近净形铸造（NNSC）工艺所取代。其中最可行的是水平单带连铸机（HSBC），它提供了钢、铝和镁带的无摩擦、无约束凝固，然后在线轧制到最终规格板。通过这项研究，我们将针对AA6xxx和AA5xxx铝合金系统，镁AZ31合金，以及汇丰中试连铸机上的新等级高强度钢，HSS （TWIP和TRIP）。只有HSBC可以处理HSS等级的生产，因为它们对处理厚型材的传统热轧机来说硬化得太快了。由于这些新等级的HSS钢代表了钢铁制造商的新时代，其强度是普通钢的两倍，失效前延展性更大（~+65%伸长率），它们可以用于轻型汽车的更薄截面，和/或显着加强关键部件。通过这项研究，我们将在确定板材表面质量时继续对熔体/基材（水冷带）的前几毫秒进行建模。近净形铸造项目的商业意义也非常显著，与传统的板坯连铸机-热轧机操作相比，预计至少可以减少30%的资本和运营成本。去年，德国萨尔茨吉特有限公司宣布，他们打算建造世界上第一个商业规模的汇丰连铸机（或DSC在他们的说法，“直接铸钢”）。他们这样做是为了生产“难以制造”的超高强度、超高延展性的钢合金，这种合金在热轧机中变得过于坚硬而无法稀释。此外，水平单带连铸机（HSBC）肯定会比双辊连铸机（TRC）更好地匹配当前综合钢厂的产量，并且可以实现先进钢性能所需的热机械加工。

Sheet aluminum and steel products are currently being produced globally, by continuously casting large slabs and then sequentially rolling them down in hot and cold rolling mills, so as to form thin sheet material. These processes are energy and manpower intensive, and will have to be replaced with greener, Near Net Shape Casting (NNSC) Processes. The most viable of these is the Horizontal Single Belt Caster, (HSBC), which provides for the friction-free, unconstrained solidification of steel, aluminum and magnesium strips, followed by in-line rolling down to final gauge sheet. With this research we will target AA6xxx and AA5xxx aluminum alloy systems, magnesium AZ31 alloy, and new grades of High Strength Steels, HSS, (TWIP and TRIP) on our HSBC pilot caster. Only an HSBC can handle the production of HSS grades, since they work harden too rapidly for conventional hot rolling mills handling thick sections. As these new grades of HSS steels represent a new era for steelmakers, being twice the strength of regular steels, with much greater ductility prior to failure (~+65% elongation), they can be used as thinner sections to lightweight cars, and/or to significantly strengthen critical components. With this research, we shall continue our modeling the first few mille-seconds of melt/substrate (water cooled belt) when the surface quality of the sheet is determined. The commercial implications of the near net shape casting programs are also very significant, with at the very least, 30% decreases in capital and operating costs projected vs. conventional slab caster-hot rolling mill operations. Last year, Salzgitter GmbH, Germany, announced their intentions to construct the world's first commercial size HSBC caster (or DSC in their parlance, for "Direct Steel Casting"). They are doing this for the production of "difficult to make" ultra-high strength ultra high ductility, steel alloys, which become too strong for thinning down in hot rolling mills. Further, the horizontal single belt caster (HSBC), would certainly be a much better match for the output of current integrated steel mills than a Twin Roll Caster (TRC), and would allow for the thermo-mechanical processing needed for advanced steel properties.