Primetals Technologies develops a new defect monitoring tool, a quality indicator, to evaluate the defect rate of a strand after casting based on its chemical analysis and its casting history. The defect monitor calculates defect indices for various types of internal or surface defects. It is capable to provide the defect indices already when the strand leaves the continuous caster. Based on these defect indices a quality management tool can decide about the further treatment and use of the casted products, already before or during cutting the product.
All indices are mathematically modelled. Unlike other quality rating tools, the quality indicator combines calculated thermodynamical properties with process parameters and distils all this information with the help of physical considerations into simple defect indices with values between 0 and 1.
This paper presents preliminary results of the validation process of the trial installation on a CCM of voestalpine Stahl Linz.