Progress in Strip Casting Technologies for Steel; Technical Developments

Abstract

The present article is a sequel to the previous review on the history of near net shape strip casting facilities. The present review focuses on technical progress made in strip casting over the last three decades. Strip casting is a revolutionary technology that promises the hope for an efficient, economical and environmentally-friendly process to produce hot-rolled, steel sheets. This review provides a summary of the theory, recent research, and progress, in the developments of strip casting operations for steels, along with technical discussions regarding the characteristics and design features of steel strip casting machines. Two strip casting processes are discussed in detail; the Twin-Roll Casting (TRC) process and the Horizontal Single-Belt Casting (HSBC) process. Particular emphasis is placed on topics such as the commercial potential for strip casting technology in the steel industry, and the economic and environmental advantages of direct strip production, versus current continuous casting, fixed mold technologies.