Primetals Technologies has received an order from Chinese steel producer Wuyang Iron and Steel for a single-strand continuous caster with several record-breaking properties.
In the future, the continuous casting plant will be put into operation at the Wuyang plant in Wugang in Henan Province and is expected to be the most powerful of its kind in the world. It will also produce the thickest slabs in the world, up to 460 millimeters thick.
Thanks to the new facilities, Wuyang will be able to produce sheet metal for heavy-duty applications such as shipbuilding and the wind power sector. The annual capacity will be one million tonnes of high-quality slabs. Products of this thickness are typically manufactured using ingot casting or vertical continuous casters, neither of which are as cost-effective and efficient as Primetals Technologies' novel arc continuous caster.
Extraordinary reducing power
Single Roll DynaGap (SRD) segments from Primetals Technologies enable the dynamic adjustment of the casting gap when changing production-influencing parameters such as steel grade, cooling curve and casting speed. The SRD segments enable forces of 5,000 kilonewtons per roller, which is equivalent to the weight of 15 fully loaded trucks. These extraordinarily high forces ensure a sophisticated internal microstructure of the slabs, while the mechanical properties are kept at a consistently high level.
Reduction of 50 percent casting level fluctuation
With the new and groundbreaking method from Primetals Technologies, the casting machine will be able to determine the ideal casting roll geometry already in the design phase. This solution reduces unsteady casting level fluctuations by 50 percent, enables higher casting speeds and leads to higher productivity.
The proven oscillator is carefully constructed with the philosophy of compensating for heavy weights through the use of cascaded leaf springs, which helps operate the oscillator with drastically reduced energy consumption.
Smart segment
The continuous bending and straightening concept from Primetals Technologies, Smart Segment, in combination with a dry-casting machine design based on Eco Star rollers, leads to a significantly improved quality of the slab surface. The internal cooling system of Eco Star rolls is optimized to withstand the high temperatures required to minimize surface defects during the dry casting process.
Wuyang Iron and Steel
Wuyang Iron and Steel, a subsidiary of HBIS Group, is a leader in the production of wide and thick steel sheets in China. The company also houses an important research center for the sheet steel industry. Wuyang Iron and Steel operates two technologically advanced, double-stand production lines for wide and thick steel sheets.
