The Effects of Hot Tear Segregations on the Rolled Product Quality of Continuously Cast Steel

The main objective of this project was to investigate the behavior and the damaging effects of hot tear segregations in the continuously cast steel blooms on the final product quality. To achieve this aim, plant data from three different types of steels were used. Investigations using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) probe and metallographic techniques showed that during the subsequent stages of the cast products, the hot tear segregations were transformed into spherical shapes, joined to each other and moved toward the surface. Also, it was observed that hot tear segregations affected the final product quality in two ways: (1) they could cause uneven surfaces in the final products, and (2) if they reached the surface in a line oriented pattern, they could make a surface crack. The hot tear segregations located near the surface could be crushed to the smaller ones during the rolling. This phenomenon made hot tear segregations less destructive.