Development of laboratory scale thin strip caster and investigation of direct casting of AISI 304 stainless steel

An unequal diameter (1 : 3), two roll thin strip casting machine has been designed and fabricated for investigation of the direct casting of thin strip on a laboratory scale. The system consists of a preheatable shallow tundish with online heating facility, water cooled rotating rolls (chill and auxiliary) for solidification of the liquid metal, and a stripper assembly. The machine has a variable speed. Roll gap setting and roll pressure adjustment are two important features of the machine. It is also possible to vary the placement angle of the auxiliary roll with respect to the chill roll. A heat transfer model was developed, based on experimental casting results. Experiments were conducted using AISI 304 grade stainless steel. Up to 100 kg of steel was cast without interruption into strips of widths 100 and 200 mm and thickness varying between 1 and 2 mm. Some of the process parameters affecting the quality of the strip were identified.