Configured tundish

A tundish, comprising:

• a floor having an outlet, said outlet having an upper end, and a pour volume horizontally displaced from said outlet;
• side walls extending upwardly from said floor, said side walls extending above a normal maximum operating level of molten steel in said tundish, the floor and side walls partially defining a tundish interior;
• an impact surface positioned on said tundish floor beneath said pour volume;
• a refractory barrier disposed circumferentially around the upper end of said outlet and having a height Drb;
• a refractory outlet periphery floor structure disposed on the floor of the tundish and surrounding the outlet, having an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface describing a plane the refractory outlet periphery floor structure having an exterior, and the refractory outlet periphery floor structure having a configuration providing an interior open volume open to the exterior of the refractory outlet periphery floor structure;
• and at least one well or dam structure, in communication with said floor, selected from a group consisting of:
• a well in said floor of said tundish surrounding said outlet, said well having a well depth and an upper surface;
• and
• a dam positioned on said floor between said impact surface and said outlet, said dam having a dam height;
• wherein the refractory outlet periphery floor structure comprises a plurality of openings in the upper surface of the refractory outlet periphery floor structure, wherein the openings have a hexagonal cross section in the plane of the upper surface of the refractory outlet periphery floor structure, and wherein the refractory outlet periphery floor structure has a configuration selected from a group consisting of:
• (a) wherein the ratio of a surface area of the refractory outlet periphery floor structure in fluid communication with the tundish interior (Afs) to a surface area of a portion of the tundish floor covered by the refractory outlet periphery floor structure (Ar) is equal to or greater than 1.1;
• and
• (b) wherein a ratio of an area of all openings in the upper surface of the refractory outlet periphery floor structure (Aup) to the area of the upper surface of the refractory outlet periphery floor structure (Au) has a value from and including 0.1 to and including 0.9.