Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019).

Continuous casting of molten steel is one of the most significant technological innovations in the field ofx000D
steelmaking within the last 60 years. However, blockage or clogging of the refractory submerged entry nozzlex000D
which protects the steel from atmospheric oxidation during transfer processes is a serious problem due to thex000D
adverse effects on the casting operation and quality of the cast product. In collaboration with Gerdau Whitby,x000D
the proposed study is aimed at characterizing materials deposited on the walls of blocked nozzles, investigatingx000D
the possible sources of these materials, and evaluating the effect of operational parameters on the formation ofx000D
clogging. Gerdau is the leading company in the production of long steel specialty products in the Americas andx000D
one of the world's major suppliers. Gerdau's North American business divisions serve the construction,x000D
automotive, agricultural, real estate and energy markets through a vertically integrated network of steel mills,x000D
recycling operations, and downstream processing facilities. The steel plant in Whitby, Ontario is one of threex000D
Gerdau mills operating in Canada and employs approximately 500 people. Gerdau Whitby transforms scrapx000D
metal from about 240,000 old cars a year into special steel products including beams and piling, rebar, specialx000D
bar and wire rod. The objectives of this project can be defined as follows: 1) Investigate nozzle blockagex000D
constituents using advanced characterization techniques. 2) Relate the results to the inclusions found in steelx000D
samples obtained at different stages during the steelmaking and casting processes. 3) Evaluate the relativex000D
effectiveness of modifying operational parameters such as steel composition, casting temperature, refractoriesx000D
and liquid steel flow, in order to eliminate nozzle blockage problems. The overall aim of the project is tox000D
generate a bank of new knowledge and facilitate technology transfer between academia and the industrial sectorx000D
that will result in improved steelmaking processes, higher quality product and reduced treatment time. Anx000D
additional benefit will be the training of students in metallurgical chemistry and materials characterizationx000D
which in turn will boost excellence in science and engineering within Canadian-based organizations.