Thermomechanical modeling of cooling slabs under a hood after continuous casting

Subsequent cooling of slabs after continuous casting is an important step to control before further processing such as hot-rolling. In this work the stresses that occur in slabs during the cooling process were investigated by using a finite element model. In the specific situation that we model a stack of slabs are left to cool under a hood, insulated by a ceramic material, which makes the cooling slower and the temperature distribution more even during the cooling process. The accuracy of the numerical model was validated by a comparison with temperature measurements, and also by a comparison with hot tensile tests for the specific cooling situation under investigation. The results show that the highest stress levels achieved during cooling did not exceed the mechanical strength of the material at the temperatures investigated.