Microstructure and solidification thermal parameters in thin strip continuous casting of a stainless steel

The present work focuses on the relationships between solidification thermal parameters and the dendritic microstructure of an AISI 304 stainless steel solidified both in a strip casting pilot equipment (twin-roll) and in a directional solidification simulator. Experimental studies were conducted with a stainless steel strip casting obtained in a twin-roll continuous caster pilot equipment and in samples solidified in a directional solidification simulator with two different melt superheats. In both cases, the surface of the substrates was similar, with mean surface roughness of about 0.3 μm. After solidification, the specimens were cut at different positions from the metal/mold interface and etched for metallographic examination. An empirical equation from the literature relating secondary dendrite arm spacing and cooling rates was used to demonstrate the similarity of the cooling efficiency. The results have shown that the simulator can be used in the determination of transient metal/mold interface coefficients (hi) and in the preprogramming of the strip casting operational conditions as a function of roll materials and surface roughness.