Viscosity and Solidification Temperature of SiO2–CaO–Na2O Melts for Fluorine Free Mould Flux

• Published in: ISIJ International Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 818 - 822
• Main Authors: Takahira, Nobuyuki, Hanao, Masahito, Tsukaguchi, Yuichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan 2013; Iron and Steel Institute of Japan
• Subjects: Applied sciences; continuous casting; Exact sciences and technology; fluorine; Metals. Metallurgy; mould flux; Na2Ca2Si3O9; viscosity; Viscosity; Temperature; Continuous casting; Foundry; Silica; mould flux; Solidification; O; Solidification temperature; Na; Si; Microstructure; Ca; fluorine
• ISSN: 0915-1559; 1347-5460
• DOI: 10.2355/isijinternational.53.818

Fluorine-free mould flux has been required to reduce corrosion of continuous casters. In this paper, Na2Ca2Si3O9 has been applied to an alternative crystalline phase of Ca4Si2O7F2 (cuspidine) that crystallized in commercial flux films. Effects of basicity described as T.CaO/SiO2 and additions of Li2O, Na2O, MgO and/or MnO into Na2Ca2Si3O9 composition mould flux on viscosity and solidification temperature were studied and the solidified specimens were examined by X-ray diffraction to identified crystalline phases.The viscosity of the mould flux is reduced with increaing of the basicity or the basic components contents. The solidification temperature decreased slightly as the basicity increased from 0.47 to 0.60, whereas it increased steeply with increasing of the basicity from 0.60 to 0.70. The solidification temperature also steeply increased when large amounts of these basic components were added. With increasing of the basic components amounts, the first peak intensity of the target phase, Na2Ca2Si3O9, decreased while that of Na2Ca2Si2O7, which had higher melting point than the target phase, increased. It is indicated that the solidification temperature is related to Na2Ca2Si2O7 crystallization.Carbon steel was cast with one of the developed fluorin-free mould fluxes and slab without any surface cracking was obtained.