FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to strand casting, and more particularly
to detection and prevention of fin breakouts, during a process such as steel
flowing through a mould used for strand casting.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The productivity, safety and maintenance of
continuous/strand casting equipment are largely affected by the occurrence
of abnormalities, such as a so-called "breakout". Breakout is initiated with a
phenomenon where the semi solidified shell gets raptured inside the mould
and do not get solidified again properly during the subsequent descent
resulting in a weak shell not having sufficient strength to withstand the
ferro-static pressure of the liquid metal inside (Figure 4). Such ill formed
weak shell breaks out completely upon exit from the mould pouring the
entire liquid metal on the casting machine. There are number of reasons
responsible for breakouts like insufficient and non-uniform powder melting
mould level fluctuation, high casting speed, high mould corner gap, a large-
size impurity particle, made of non-metal, appearing close to the surface of
the shell.
In the conventional art, numerous techniques have been practiced in
various steel plants to prevent the breakouts. The underlying philosophy of
all the conventional methodologies is to detect the symptom of breakouts by
monitoring the different process parameters like temperature trend, cooling
pattern, friction variation in mould etc. in real time and if any abnormality is
detected, reduce casting speed to dead slow value so as to give the strand
sufficient time to heal up and gain strength to withstand the ferro-static
pressure at the time of exit from mould.
The measurement of the above process parameters are applied to
prevent the Sticker induced breakouts caused due to sticking of the
shell/strand in the mould, which often occurs in a high-speed continuous
slab casting machine. Further, when the strand is withdrawn from the

mould it gets ruptured, and the ruptured portion if not given sufficient time
to heal up inside the mould will cause breakout after mould exit. Breakouts
of the above kind are very common and hence have been given prime
importance and number of models is available conventionally to prevent the
Sticker induced breakouts. Another less known phenomenon leading to
breakout is due to rupture of shell by solidified metal fins protruding out
form the mould corner gaps. Fin induced breakouts are not very common
but the impact of such breakouts is same as that of sticker breakouts. The
existing arts are quite vocal on sticker breakouts but for detection and
prevention of fin induced breakouts conventional arts do not propose a
suitable methodology and is silent on providing fitting solutions to the
aforesaid outstanding problem.
There is therefore a dire need to come up with a novel dedicated
system for detecting and preventing corner fin induced breakouts in real
time during strand casting of steel slabs.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the object of the invention to overcome the
aforementioned and other drawbacks existing in prior systems.
An object of the present invention to provide a dedicated system and
method for detecting corner fin induced breakouts in real time during strand
casting of steel slabs.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dedicated
system and method for preventing corner fin induced breakouts in real time
during strand casting of steel slabs.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for
detecting and preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand
casting of steel slab. The method comprises continuously capturing
temperature data at each layer of corner and face walls of a mould 119
and calculating, based on the measured temperature data, slope of
rise of temperature (S) and absolute temperature rise (ΔT) for the each
layer, capturing casting speed (CS) in real-time, calculating fin break
out location (DCurrent) and, generating a signal for reducing speed of
strand casting for a predefined interval if the S and the ΔT at the
narrow and corner point of the first layer and the S and the ΔT at the
narrow and the corner point of at least one of next layers is higher
than predefined threshold of temperature and characteristic
signatures of said point on the first layer and said point on at least
one of the next layers match or maintaining speed of strand casting if
the S and the ΔT at the narrow and corner point of the first layer and
the S and the ΔT at the narrow and the corner point of at least one of
next layers is within pre-defined temperature threshold.
In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a system for
detecting and preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting
of steel slab. The system comprises a tracking unit 215 configured to
capture, data related to temperatures at each layer of corner and face walls
of a mould and casting speed (CS) in real-time and transmitting the
captured data to server, a measurement unit 217 of the server configured to
calculate slope of rise of temperature (S) and absolute temperature rise (ΔT)
for the each layer, an inference unit 219 of the server configured to process
data related to temperatures and casting speed and calculate fin break out
location (DCurrent) when the S and the ΔT at the narrow and corner point of
the first layer and the S and the ΔT at the narrow and the corner point of at
least one of next layers is higher than predefined threshold of temperature
and characteristic signatures of said point on the first layer and said point

on at least one of the next layers match, an alert generation unit 223 of the
server configured to generate a signal for reducing speed of strand casting
for a predefined interval, a caster control unit 221 configured to reduce the
speed of strand casting for a predefined interval on receipt of the signal.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in
any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and
features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will
become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute
a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together
with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same
numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and
components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance
with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way
of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Fig.1 illustrates an exemplary environment for detecting and
preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel slab
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig.2 shows a detailed block diagram of the system for detecting and
preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel slab
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Fig.3 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for detecting and
preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel slab
in accordance with some embodiments of present disclosure;
Fig.4 shows exemplary schematic of slab casting process.

Fig.5 shows layout of mould thermocouples in accordance with some
embodiments of present disclosure.
Fig.6 shows exemplary formation of fin inside the mould.
Fig.7 shows time/temperature profile during rupture by fin.
Fig.8 shows temperature profile during normal casting operation.
Fig.9 shows a flowchart of the conditional checks done by the system
for preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel
slab in accordance with some embodiments of present disclosure; and
Fig.10 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system
for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block
diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems
embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be
appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams,
pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be
substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a
computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is
explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean
"serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or
implementation of the present subject matter described herein as
"exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous
over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and
alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of

example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be
understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the
particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all
modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the
disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof,
are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, system
device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not
include only those components or steps but may include other components
or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method.
In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by
“comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence
of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the
disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part
hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments
in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described
in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be
utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of
the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be
taken in a limiting sense.
The present disclosure relates to a system and a method for detecting
and preventing corner fin induced breakouts during slab casting. The
present disclosure implements a unique technique for detecting the
presence of fin in the copper mould. In an embodiment, the system 100
continuously monitor the temperature of corner and narrow face
thermocouple placed at different layers in the copper plates of the mould
119. In an embodiment, an inference is made by the inference unit 219
positioned at the server 101. The inference is made based on relative values
and characteristic signatures of Slope (S) and delta T (ΔT) in time and across

successive layers. On conclusive detection of a fin related abnormality, it
raises an alarm and control action for speed reduction is initiated. When
casting is slowed down for certain period, the ruptured part get healed and
shell regains the strength upon which speed can be raised to normal
operating value.
Fig.1 illustrates an exemplary environment for detecting and
preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel slab
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As shown in Fig.1, the system 100 includes a server 101 having server
components implementing the method steps connected through a
communication network 109 to a controller 117 which in an embodiment is
a programmable logic controller (PLC) and to a cooper mould 119 which is
attached with thermocouples. In an embodiment, the vehicle 103 may refer
to any automobile which encompasses an infotainment unit. The navigation
device 101 is connected through a communication network (not shown
explicitly) to a service provider server 107. The communication network 109
may include, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, an e-
commerce network, a Peer to Peer (P2P) network, Local Area Network (LAN),
Wide Area Network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application
Protocol), Internet, Wi-Fi and the like.
Fig.2 shows a detailed block diagram of the system for detecting and
preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel slab
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
The information received from the I/O interface 111 may be stored in
the memory 113. The memory 113 may be communicatively coupled to the
processor 115 of the server system 101. In an embodiment, the server
system has hardware units (Fig.2) for implementing the unique technical
steps as shown in Fig. 3. In another embodiment, each of the hardware
units 213 may have a processor 115 for implementing the technical steps
300 among other steps. In yet another embodiment, the hardware units 213

may be implemented by one dedicated hardware processor 115. Further, the
controller 117 may be a PLC containing the hardware units 214 for
implementing the method steps of the present disclosure.
Data 200 and one or more units 213 of the server 101 are described
herein in detail. In an embodiment, the data 200 may include temperature
data 201, casting speed data 203 and other data 211. The other data 205
may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by
units 213 for performing the various functions of the server system 101.
In an embodiment, the data 200 in the memory 113 are processed by
the one or more hardware units 213 of the server system 101 and the
hardware units 214 of the controller 217. As used herein, the term unit
refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic
circuit, a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), Programmable System-on-
Chip (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable
components that provide the described functionality. The said units 213
when configured with the functionality defined in the present disclosure will
result in hardware generating a new technical effect and shall also function
as a non-conventional hardware.
In one implementation, the one or more units 213 may include, but
are not limited to an inference unit 219, and an alert generation unit 223.
The one or more units 213 may also include other units 229 to perform
various miscellaneous functionalities of the server system 101. In an
embodiment, the one or more units 214 of the controller 117 may include,
but are not limited to a tracking unit 215, a measurement unit 217, and a
caster control unit 221. It will be appreciated that such units 213 and 214
may be represented as a single unit or a combination of different units 213
and 214.
In an embodiment, the tracking unit 214 which is operatively coupled
to the programmable logic controller (PLC) 117 is configured to capture the
data related to temperatures at each layer of corner and face walls of a

mould and casting speed (CS) in real-time and transmitting the captured
data to server 101 where in an embodiment, measurement unit 217 of the
server calculates slope of rise of temperature (S) and absolute temperature
rise (ΔT) for each layer. The tracking unit 217 through the PLC 117 provides
temperature and casting speed data to the measurement unit 217. The
details of measurement/calculation of temperature (S) and absolute
temperature rise (ΔT) for each layer is provided below:

Tracking of ruptured Shell Current location

where,
S = Slope of the rise of temperature
ΔT = Absolute temperature rise
Tt = Temperature of a given thermocouple at current instance t.

Tt-i = Temperature of a given thermocouple i instances before the current
time instance t.
Tt-10(avg) = Arithmetic Average of temperature between t=10 and t=15.
(Rt) = Temperature rise of a given thermocouple at current instance t.
D1 = Distance of first layer thermocouple from mould top
D Current = Distance of characteristics signature from mould top
TM1 = Time instance when Signature was observed at first layer
CSi = Casting speed at instance i.
Further, in an embodiment, the inference unit 217 of the server 101
processes data related to temperatures and casting speed. Further, the
inference unit 217 calculate fin break out location (DCurrent) when the S
and the ΔT at the narrow and corner point of the first layer and the S and
the ΔT at the narrow and the corner point of at least one of next layers is
higher than predefined threshold of temperature and characteristic
signatures of the point on the first layer and the point on at least one of the
next layers match. In an embodiment, the alert generation unit 223 of the
server configured to generate a signal for reducing speed of strand casting
for a predefined interval. In an embodiment, based on the speed reduction
signal from the alert generation unit 223, a caster control unit 221 reduces
the speed of strand casting for a predefined interval.
Fig.3 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for detecting and
preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand casting of steel slab
in accordance with some embodiments of present disclosure.
As illustrated in Fig.3, the method 300 includes one or more blocks
for detecting and preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during strand
casting of steel slab.
The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to be
construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks
can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally,

individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from
the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method
can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or
combination thereof.
At block 301, the data related to temperatures at each layer of corner
and face walls of a mould 119 and transmitted to the server 101, where
measurement unit (217) of the server calculates slope of rise of temperature
(S) and absolute temperature rise (ΔT) for the each layer. The temperatures
are measured from the thermocouples which are distributed across the
corner and face of the surface of the copper mould 119 as shown in Fig. 5.
At block 303 casting speed (CS) in real-time is captured by the
tracking unit (215) and transmitted to the server 101.
At block 305, processing of data related to temperatures and casting
speed is done by the inference unit 219 of the server which further
calculates fin break out location (DCurrent) when the S and the ΔT at the
narrow and corner point of the first layer and the S and the ΔT at the narrow
and the corner point of at least one of next layers is higher than predefined
threshold of temperature and characteristic signatures of the point on the
first layer and the similar point (temperature at the narrow and corner point
detected by the positioned thermocouple at the above mentioned point) on at
least one of the next layers match (as shown in Fig. 9) and generates the
alert signal to the caster control unit 221 to reduce the speed of casting for a
pre-defined interval.
At block 307, if the S and the ΔT for at least one of the layers is within
the predefined threshold, the caster control unit 221 maintains speed of
strand casting.
Fig. 6 shows that when the gap between narrow and wide faces of
mould increases beyond a certain limit Fin is formed. When liquid metal

enters in this gap and get solidified it acts like a protruding knife and tears
the soft nascent shell continuously. If this cut shell do not healed in due
course of casting, it will give way when it reaches the exit of the mould
resulting in a full-fledged breakout. As this phenomenon is limited to the
corner only so its reflection is seen only on narrow face and corner
thermocouple (Fig. 7 and 8). During the shell rapture a characteristics
signature (Fig.8) is observed at different layers of thermocouple quantified
by slope (S) and delta T (ΔT) which is different from normal casting signature
(Fig 7).
Further, distinct feature of the aforesaid characteristics signatures are:
1) It is limited to narrow and corner thermocouple
2) A high value of S and (ΔT) is observed in a particular thermocouple.
3) A high value of S and (ΔT) is observed at thermocouples in any of
the subsequent layer(s).
The trajectories of slope and delta T with time at each layer and its
progression in subsequent layers is monitored along with descent rate of
strand and spacing between thermocouple layers to infer correctly the
existence of a fin induced rupture. On confirmation of existence of such a
rupture command for reducing the speed of casting is given to the caster
control PLC 117. Due to this reduced speed the residence time in the mould
increase and the ruptured shell gets properly solidified and regain its
strength and hence prevent the chance of breakout.
Computing System
Figure 10 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer
system 500 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present
disclosure. In an embodiment, the computer system 500 may be used to
implement the navigation device 101. The computer system 500 may include
a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 502. The processor which is
a hardware processor 502 may include at least one data processor for

determining navigation of a vehicle based on feasibility of events. The
hardware processor 502 may include specialized processing units such as,
integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units,
floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing
units, etc.
The one or more hardware processors 502 may be disposed in
communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices (not shown) via
I/O interface 501. The I/O interface 501 may employ communication
protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital,
monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB),
infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface
(DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), RF antennas, S-Video,
VGA, IEEE 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple
access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile
communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.
Using the I/O interface 501, the computer system 500 may
communicate with one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device
may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control,
camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone,
touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device,
transceiver, video device/source, etc. The output device may be a printer,
fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal
display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, Plasma display panel
(PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or the like), audio
speaker, etc.
In some embodiments, the computer system 500 consists of a
navigation device 101. The processor 502 may be disposed in
communication with the communication network 509 via a network
interface 503. The network interface 503 may communicate with the
communication network 509. The network interface 503 may employ
connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet

(e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control
protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.
The communication network 509 may include, without limitation, a direct
interconnection, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),
wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc.
Using the network interface 503 and the communication network 509, the
computer system 500 may communicate with a controller 117 and a copper
mould 119. The network interface 503 may employ connection protocols
include, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair
10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol
(TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.
The communication network 509 includes, but is not limited to, a
direct interconnection, an e-commerce network, a peer to peer
(P2P) network, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless
network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi and
such. The first network and the second network may either be a dedicated
network or a shared network, which represents an association of the
different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example,
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate
with each other. Further, the first network and the second network may
include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers,
computing devices, storage devices, etc.
In some embodiments, the processor 502 may be disposed in
communication with a memory 505 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in
figure 5) via a storage interface 504. The storage interface 504 may connect
to memory 505 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc
drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as, serial advanced
technology attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-
1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems
Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum,
magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of

Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives,
etc.
The memory 505 may store a collection of program or database
components, including, without limitation, user interface 506, an operating
system 507 etc. In some embodiments, computer system 500 may store
user/application data 506, such as, the data, variables, records, etc., as
described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-
tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase.
The operating system 507 may facilitate resource management and
operation of the computer system 700. Examples of operating systems
include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSHR OS X, UNIXR, UNIX-like
system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTIONTM (BSD),
FREEBSDTM, NETBSDTM, OPENBSDTM, etc.), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONSTM
(E.G., RED HATTM, UBUNTUTM, KUBUNTUTM, etc.), IBMTM OS/2,
MICROSOFTTM WINDOWSTM (XPTM, VISTATM/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLER IOSTM,
GOOGLER ANDROIDTM, BLACKBERRYR OS, or the like.
Further, in an embodiment the controller is a programmable logic
controller (PLC). A PLC is a solid-state industrial control device which
receives signals from user supplied controlled devices, such as sensors and
switches, implements them in a precise pattern determined by an
application progress stored in user memory, and provides outputs for
control of processes or user-supplied devices. The CPU unit of the PLC is
divided into two sections: the processor section and the memory section. The
processor section makes the decisions needed by the PLC so that it can
operate and communicate with other units. It communicates along either a
serial or parallel data-bus. An I/O base interface unit or individual on-board
interface I/O circuitry provides the signal conditioning required to
communicate with the processor. The memory section stores (electronically)
retrievable digital information in three dedicated locations of the memory.
These memory locations are routinely scanned by the processor. The

memory will receive ("write" mode) digital information or have digital
information accessed ("read" mode) by the processor. This read/write (R/W)
capability provides an easy way to make program changes. The memory
contains data for several types of information. Usually, the data tables, or
image registers are in the CPU unit's memory. The program messages may
or may not be resident with the other memory data. Thus, a PLC can adapt
to changes in many processes or monitoring application requirements.
The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “the
embodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “some
embodiments”, and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all)
embodiments of the invention(s)” unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereof
mean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the
items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly
specified otherwise.
A description of an embodiment with several components in
communication with each other does not imply that all such components
are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are
described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the
invention. The functionality and/or the features of said system 100 may be
alternatively embodied by one or more other systems which are not explicitly
described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments
of the invention need not include the device itself.
The illustrated operations of Fig. 3 show certain events occurring in a
certain order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be
performed in a different order, modified or removed. Moreover, steps may be
added to the above described logic and still conform to the described

embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur sequentially
or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations
may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing
units.
Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally
selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have
been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is
therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this
detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application
based here on. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the
invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the
invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein,
other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of
illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being
indicated by the following claims.

We claim:
1. A method of detecting and preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during
strand casting of steel slab, the method comprising:
continuously capturing temperature data at each layer of narrow and
wide face of walls of a mould (119) and calculating, based on the measured
temperature data, slope of rise of temperature (S) and absolute temperature
rise (ΔT) for the each layer;
capturing casting speed (CS) in real-time;
calculating fin break out location (DCurrent) and, generating a signal for
reducing speed of strand casting for a predefined interval, if the S and the
ΔT at the narrow and corner point of the first layer and the S and the ΔT at
the narrow and the corner point of at least one of next layers is higher than
predefined threshold of temperature and characteristic signatures of said
point on the first layer and said point on at least one of the next layers
match;
maintaining speed of strand casting, if the S and the ΔT at the narrow
and corner point of the first layer and the S and the ΔT at the narrow and
the corner point of at least one of next layers is within pre-defined
temperature threshold.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein plurality of thermocouples are
disposed at each layer of narrow and wide face of walls of a mould (119).
3. The method as claimed in claim, wherein the calculation of fin break out
location (DCurrent) is based on parameters:
distance of the first layer from top of the mould (D1);
casting speed at an instance (CSi);
time instance when the characteristic signature of the fin breakout is
detected at first layer (TMi);

time instance when the characteristic signature of the fin breakout is
detected at next layer (TMl) other than the first layer where the characteristic
signature was detected at instance i.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein plurality of thermocouples are
disposed at each layer of corner and face walls of a mould (119).
5. A system for detecting and preventing corner fin Induced breakouts during
strand casting of steel slab, the system comprising:
a tracking unit (215) configured to capture, data related to
temperatures at each layer of corner and face walls of a mould and casting
speed (CS) in real-time and transmitting the captured data to server;
a measurement unit (217) of the server configured to calculate slope of
rise of temperature (S) and absolute temperature rise (ΔT) for the each layer;
an inference unit (219) of the server configured to:
process data related to temperatures and casting speed;
calculate fin break out location (DCurrent) when the S and the ΔT
at the narrow and corner point of the first layer and the S and the ΔT
at the narrow and the corner point of at least one of next layers is
higher than predefined threshold of temperature and characteristic
signatures of said point on the first layer and said point on at least
one of the next layers match;
an alert generation unit (223) of the server configured to generate a
signal for reducing speed of strand casting for a predefined interval;
a caster control unit (221) configured to reduce the speed of strand
casting for a predefined interval on receipt of the signal.
6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein plurality of thermocouples are
disposed at each layer of corner and face walls of a mould (119).

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tracking unit (215) and the
alert generation unit (223) is operably connected to a programmable logic
controller (117).
8. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein frequency of data capturing by
the tracking unit (215) is synchronized with the frequency of data
calculation and the data processing of the measurement unit (217) and the
inference unit (219) respectively.
9. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the frequency of data capturing,
data calculation and the data processing is maintained at 1Hz.
10. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the calculation of fin break out
location (DCurrent), by the inference unit (219) is based on parameters:
distance of first layer of the corner and the face wall from top of the
mould (D1);
casting speed at an instance (CSi);
time instance when the characteristic signature of the fin breakout is
detected at first layer (TMi);
time instance when the characteristic signature of the fin breakout is
detected at next layer (TMl) other than the first layer where the characteristic
signature was detected at instance i.