Investigation on viscosity of CaO-Al2O3 based mould fluxes for the continuous casting of high-Al steels

In this study, the viscosity of CaO-Al2O3 based mould fluxes with the addition of B2O3 and the effects of increasing the lime/alumina ratio have been observed through IPT (Inclined Plate Test). Additionally, FactSage software, Riboud and Urbain models were used to calculate the viscosity of the mould fluxes. The experimental results show that the viscosity of the mould fluxes decreases dramatically with a change in the lime/alumina ratio from 1 to 1.5. They also show that with an increase in the lime/alumina ratio ranging from 1.5 to 2.5, the viscosity slightly decreases, then when the lime/alumina ratio is over 2.5, the viscosity becomes stable. However, the addition of B2O3 decreases the viscosity of the mould fluxes at a lime/alumina ratio of 1.2, 3.3 and 5.5.