Lubrication and friction between mold and solidified shell in continuous casting of steel

The laboratory scale experiments have been carried out to evaluate the solid frictional force between the mold and the solidified shell during the continuous casting of steel. The coefficient of solid friction between mild steel and Cu plate increased with increasing the temperature and the measured value was 0.45 at a temperature of 653K. By use of rape seed oil, the coefficient of solid friction decreased from 0.45 to 0.20. The coefficient of solid friction between solid mold flux and Cu plate increased with raising the temperature and the large coefficient of 0.70 was measured at a temperature of 673K. The solid frictional force was independent of the strain rate. The thickness of the liquid mold flux film between the mold and the solidified shell was estimated from the thermal analysis at meniscus zone, which gives the friction force of one third of rape seed oil casting.