Analysis of cracking phenomena in continuous casting of 1Cr13 stainless steel billets with final electromagnetic stirring

Solidification cracking that occurs during continuous casting of 1Cr13 stainless steel was investigated with and without final elec-tromagnetic stirring (F-EMS). The results show that cracks initiates and propagates along the grain boundaries where the elements of carbon and sulfur are enriched. The final stirrer should be appropriately placed at a location that is 7.5 m away from the meniscus, and the appropri-ate thickness of the liquid core in the stirring zone is 50 mm. As a stirring current of 250 A is imposed, it can promote columnar-equiaxed transition, decrease the secondary dendrite arm spacing, and reduce the segregation of both carbon and sulfur. F-EMS can effectively de-crease the amount of cracks in 1Cr13 stainless steel.