ArcelorMittal Asturias (Avilés), Spain, had placed an order with SMS group (www.sms-group.com) for a comprehensive revamp of the two-strand slab caster No.1 with the aim to rebuild the bow-type caster into a caster of vertical bending design.
The revamped caster produces slabs with a thickness of 235 millimeters and widths between 800 and 1,600 millimeters; the maximum casting speed is rated at 1.9 meters per minute.
From the mold to the run-out area, the caster was completely rebuilt as a vertical bending caster. It is equipped with a remote adjustable mold, hydraulic oscillation and a width-dependent spray cooling system (water cooling) in the machine head.
ArcelorMittal Asturias also modernized the existing maintenance workshop which now features the state-of-the-art HD LASr alignment system designed by SMS group.
Furthermore, SMS group has implemented various X-Pact® level 2 process models and automation packages. A mold monitoring system checks the temperature distribution. In this way, any strand shell stickers can be detected and breakouts prevented at a very early stage. The DSC® (Dynamic Solidification Control) metallurgical process model calculates the solidification process of the strand and controls the various secondary cooling zones.
The integrated steel plant of ArcelorMittal Asturias (Avilés) produces high-quality steel grades for the automotive industry as well as for tinplate and heavy plate production.