Mold Simulator Study of Initial Solidification Phenomenon at Meniscus Area for Continuous Casting Peritectic Steel

The mold simulator is used to study the initial solidification phenomenon of peritectic steel at the meniscus area under two casting speeds ( V c = 10 mm s −1 and V c = 33 mm s −1 ). Results indicate that as the casting speed is increasing from 10 mm s −1 to 33 mm s −1 , the shell solidification coefficient decreased from 2.04 mm s −1/2 to 1.91 mm s −1/2 , while the shell thickness, slag film thickness, and thermal resistances ( R tot , R slag , R s , R l , and R int ) are also decreased. The heat flux and mold surface temperature both increase with the casting speed increased, with a notable 0.23–0.31 MW m −2 higher heat flux and 31.7–34.6 K higher mold surface temperature at 33 mm s −1 compared to 10 mm s −1 . The appropriate liquid fraction for determining shell thickness location is 0.5. However, slag consumption and liquid slag film thickness are both reduced with the casting speed increased, which adversely affects the surface quality of the solidified shell. These findings provide critical insights into optimizing heat transfer and shell formation during high‐speed continuous casting of peritectic steels.