Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

A method of forming tailored cast blanks including determining at least one of a thickness pattern or profile pattern for a blank, generating a layout for a series of blanks having the determined thickness or profile pattern and casting a strip in accordance with the layout, including varying the caster width during casting of the strip.

A spring steel includes a predetermined chemical composition and a composite inclusion having a maximum diameter of 2 m or more that TiN is adhered to an inclusion containing REM, O and Al, in which the number of the composite inclusion is 0.004 pieces/mm.sup.2 to 10 pieces/mm.sup.2, the maximum diameter of the composite inclusion is 40 m or less, the sum of the number density of an alumina cluster having the maximum diameter of 10 m or more, MnS having the maximum diameter of 10 m or more and TiN having the maximum diameter of 1 m to 10 pieces/mm.sup.2.

A spring steel includes a predetermined chemical composition and a composite inclusion having a maximum diameter of 2 m or more that TiN is adhered to an inclusion containing REM, O and Al, in which the number of the composite inclusion is 0.004 pieces/mm.sup.2 to 10 pieces/mm.sup.2, the maximum diameter of the composite inclusion is 40 m or less, the sum of the number density of an alumina cluster having the maximum diameter of 10 m or more, MnS having the maximum diameter of 10 m or more and TiN having the maximum diameter of 1 m to 10 pieces/mm.sup.2.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a technique of avoiding occurrence of surface defects caused by an electromagnetic brake while checking internal defects with this electromagnetic brake, so that cleanliness of a cast steel can be improved compared with prior arts, and the present invention provides a method for continuously casting steel, the method comprising supplying molten steel into a funnel mold while applying an electromagnetic brake to an outlet flow discharged from an outlet port of an immersion nozzle, wherein magnetic flux density (B) of the electromagnetic brake is within a range of the following (Formula 1):

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}{B}_{\min }B{B}_{\max },.Math.B_{\min }=\frac{800.Math.{\left(\frac{D_{\max }}{D_0}\right)}^3.Math.\left(\frac{H_{\mathrm{SEN}}}{H_0}\right)}{.Math.\left(v.Math.\sin .Math..Math.\right).Math.},.Math.\mathrm{and}.Math..Math.B_{\max }=\frac{3000.Math.{\left(\frac{D_{\max }}{D_0}\right)}^3.Math.\left(\frac{H_{\mathrm{SEN}}}{H_0}\right)}{{\left(v.Math.\sin .Math..Math.\right)}^2}.& \left(\mathrm{Formula}.Math..Math.1\right)\end{array}$

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a technique of avoiding occurrence of surface defects caused by an electromagnetic brake while checking internal defects with this electromagnetic brake, so that cleanliness of a cast steel can be improved compared with prior arts, and the present invention provides a method for continuously casting steel, the method comprising supplying molten steel into a funnel mold while applying an electromagnetic brake to an outlet flow discharged from an outlet port of an immersion nozzle, wherein magnetic flux density (B) of the electromagnetic brake is within a range of the following (Formula 1):

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}{B}_{\min }B{B}_{\max },.Math.B_{\min }=\frac{800.Math.{\left(\frac{D_{\max }}{D_0}\right)}^3.Math.\left(\frac{H_{\mathrm{SEN}}}{H_0}\right)}{.Math.\left(v.Math.\sin .Math..Math.\right).Math.},.Math.\mathrm{and}.Math..Math.B_{\max }=\frac{3000.Math.{\left(\frac{D_{\max }}{D_0}\right)}^3.Math.\left(\frac{H_{\mathrm{SEN}}}{H_0}\right)}{{\left(v.Math.\sin .Math..Math.\right)}^2}.& \left(\mathrm{Formula}.Math..Math.1\right)\end{array}$

An unfired, refractory molded body (1), includes a binding agent matrix (2) containing at least one set, permanent binding material and aggregate grains (3) with and/or of biogenic silicic acid, preferably with and/or of rice husk ash, which grains are incorporated into the binding agent matrix (2), for thermal isolation of a molten metal, especially of molten steel, and/or of a metal ingot solidifying from the molten metal, and also the use of the molded body (1) for thermal isolation of a refractory lining, in particular in a multiple-layer brick wall or in a heat-treatment furnace, or as a corrosion barrier, e.g. against alkali attack, or as a fire protection lining or as filter material for hot gases.

An unfired, refractory molded body (1), includes a binding agent matrix (2) containing at least one set, permanent binding material and aggregate grains (3) with and/or of biogenic silicic acid, preferably with and/or of rice husk ash, which grains are incorporated into the binding agent matrix (2), for thermal isolation of a molten metal, especially of molten steel, and/or of a metal ingot solidifying from the molten metal, and also the use of the molded body (1) for thermal isolation of a refractory lining, in particular in a multiple-layer brick wall or in a heat-treatment furnace, or as a corrosion barrier, e.g. against alkali attack, or as a fire protection lining or as filter material for hot gases.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a technique of avoiding occurrence of surface defects caused by an electromagnetic brake while checking internal defects with this electromagnetic brake, so that cleanliness of a cast steel can be improved compared with prior arts, and the present invention provides a method for continuously casting steel, the method comprising supplying molten steel into a mold while applying an electromagnetic brake to an outlet flow discharged from an outlet port of an immersion nozzle, wherein magnetic flux density (B) of the electromagnetic brake is within a range of the following (Formula 1): $\begin{array}{c}{B}_{\min }B{B}_{\max },B_{\min }=\frac{800.Math.{\left(\frac{D_{\max }}{D_0}\right)}^3.Math.\left(\frac{H_{\mathrm{SEN}}}{H_0}\right)}{(v.Math.\sin }\end{array}$

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a technique of avoiding occurrence of surface defects caused by an electromagnetic brake while checking internal defects with this electromagnetic brake, so that cleanliness of a cast steel can be improved compared with prior arts, and the present invention provides a method for continuously casting steel, the method comprising supplying molten steel into a mold while applying an electromagnetic brake to an outlet flow discharged from an outlet port of an immersion nozzle, wherein magnetic flux density (B) of the electromagnetic brake is within a range of the following (Formula 1): $\begin{array}{c}{B}_{\min }B{B}_{\max },B_{\min }=\frac{800.Math.{\left(\frac{D_{\max }}{D_0}\right)}^3.Math.\left(\frac{H_{\mathrm{SEN}}}{H_0}\right)}{(v.Math.\sin }\end{array}$