A New Continuous Bending and Straightening Curve Based on the High-Temperature Creep Property of a Low-Alloy Steel Continuous Casting Slab

The existing continuous caster layout curves cause plastic deformation of slabs during bending and straightening segments, while no effective deformation occurs in the basic arc segment, which tends to induce defects, such as cracks, and compromise slab quality. High-temperature creep deformation is generally regarded as detrimental to material performance. If the significant and inevitable creep deformation of a slab could be utilized to accomplish bending and straightening deformation during continuous casting, it would turn a potential harm into an advantage, ultimately enhancing both production efficiency and final product quality. Therefore, a new continuous bending and straightening curve based on the high-temperature creep property of a low-alloy steel slab was designed. The new curve cancelled the original basic arc segment and smoothly connected the bending and straightening segments, which not only substantially prolonged the effective bending and straightening deformation time but also extended the creep time. The locations within the slab corresponding to the temperature range of 1100 °C to 1200 °C were obtained from the simulated temperature field results. Comparing the calculated strain rates with the steady-state creep rates revealed that within the temperature range exhibiting favorable hot ductility, the bending and straightening deformation of the slab could be accomplished entirely through creep deformation.