Evolution of the Tundish Flux Microstructure During Continuous Casting Process: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Following the absorption of inclusionsInclusions, alterations occur in the microstructureMicrostructure of the tundish fluxTundish flux, thereby affecting its performance and diminishing the quality of continuous casting blanks. In this study, molecular dynamicsMolecular dynamics simulations were employed to analyze the influence of varying levels of absorbed inclusionsInclusions on the flux microstructureMicrostructure. The results indicate that the flux continuously absorbs inclusions, such as Al2O3 and SiO2, during the continuous casting process, leading to an increase in the degree of microstructural polymerization. In the later stages of continuous casting, the proportion of bridging oxygen and tricluster oxygen in the tundish fluxTundish flux increased by 3.7% and 5.1%, respectively, while the average bond length of Al-O increased by 0.033 Å. The complexity of the microstructureMicrostructure leads to the deterioration of the physical and chemical propertiesPhysical and chemical properties of the coating, such as melting point and viscosityViscosity, and further reduces its ability to absorb inclusionsInclusions.