Continuous Casting for Wire Rods and Its Quality Problems

Abstract

For the production of high quality high carbon steel wire rods at reasonable cost, Sumitomo Electric has designed and installed a C.C. machine for both small size bloom and large size billet together with a break down mill.
Investigations before designing are as follows:
(1) Influences, on centerline segregation, of such factors as casting temperature, E.M.S., size and shape of bloom and billet, and diffusion during soaking have been made clear.
(2) Evaluation of hot-workability of C.C. blooms by using a wedge specimen with fin was developed and criteria of hot workability were made clear to several grades of steel. These results were applied to design new C.C. machine, reheating furnace and break down mill, and wire rods having good drawability, cleanliness and surface were produced.