Method and Installation for Producing Light Gauge Steel with a High Manganese Content

Abstract

The production of steels with high contents of manganese (Mn), aluminum (Al), and silicon (Si) with TWIP properties (Twinning-Induced Plasticity) by continuous casting is considered difficult or impossible in the present state of the art for various reasons. These reasons include low strength of the strand shell during solidification due to intense microsegregation of Mn, high strength at relatively low temperatures, reactions of the aluminum in the steel with the flux powder, macrosegregation, depletion of the alloying elements near the surface, and oxidation of the grain boundaries during the reheating of slabs in the pusher furnace. Therefore, in accordance with the invention, successively arranged process steps are used to cast light gauge steel with a given chemical composition of 15-27% Mn, 1-6% Al, 1-6% Si, ≦0.8% C, with the remainder consisting of Fe and accompanying impurity elements on a thin-slab casting machine (1) (d≦120 mm) with the use of suitable flux powders, to cut slabs (3) from the endless strand (2) immediately after solidification, to bring about temperature equalization in a continuous-type intermediate furnace (4), and then to hot roll the slab (3) immediately without intermediate cooling.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.