Mold flux crystallization behavior dictates its continuous casting metallurgical performance, yet how static magnetic fields affect its crystallization kinetics remains unclear. This study explored 0 and 40 mT magnetic field effects on mold flux isothermal crystallization at 1150–1300 °C via FactSage simulations, isothermal experiments and microstructural characterizations. Magnetic fields altered crystallization kinetics and structural evolution, advancing nucleation, prolonging total crystallization time at all temperatures but 1300 °C and changing pathways, lowering activation energy and pre-exponential factor to facilitate nucleation but reduce growth rate. They suppressed phase separation and coarsening for uniform, dense microstructures, with no obvious effects on precipitate phases or elemental segregation. This work supports optimized magnetic field application in continuous casting mold flux design theoretically and experimentally.
Xiao et al. (2026) studied this question.