Secondly, ingots being cast in groups and positioned side by side for cooling are being examined. If this is taken into account by the simulation software, the influence can be directly shown in the results. Reality however is much more complex: There are different conditions over the height of a mould. Normally, due to missing knowledge, a heat transfer coefficient between the solidifying shell and the mould surface which is invariant from the ingot bottom to the top is taken into account. The determination of heat transfer coefficients by reverse engineering is described. This paper concentrates on the influence of the heat flow through the mould walls on casting quality. Hereby the focus lies on the ingot itself and on the prediction of shrinkage, segregation, inclusions etc. Today, simulation tools can already show a lot of useful results to make predictions regarding the quality.
This is influenced by several factors like steel chemistry, superheating of the melt, pouring time and the dimensions of the mould. The complex phenomena during this process have to be controlled to obtain a good quality of the final product. The ingot casting process is characterized by the progressive solidification of the poured steel from the walls and the surface of the mould towards the centre.