Continuous casting method

1. A continuous casting method for steel,

using a mold having an inner surface of the mold in a rectangular profile shape cut in a horizontal plane, two inner wall surfaces of the mold constituting long edges of the rectangular shape each are referred to as a “long edge surface”, two inner wall surfaces of the mold constituting short edges thereof each are referred to as a “short edge surface”, a horizontal direction in parallel to the long edge surface is referred to as a “long edge direction”, and a horizontal direction in parallel to the short edge surface is referred to as a “short edge direction”,

the continuous casting method comprising: disposing a submerged nozzle having two discharge ports, at a center in the long edge direction and the short edge direction in the mold; discharging a molten steel from each of the discharge ports under the following conditions (A) and (B); and applying electric power to the molten steel in a region having a depth providing a thickness of a solidification shell of from 5 to 10 mm at least at a center position in the long edge direction, so as to cause flows in directions inverse to each other in the long edge direction on both long edge sides, thereby performing electro-magnetic stirrer (EMS):

(A) an extended line of a central axis of a discharged flow of the molten steel at an outlet opening of the discharge port of the submerged nozzle (which is hereinafter referred to as a “discharge extended line”) intersects a molten steel surface in the mold at a point P, and the molten steel is discharged from the discharge port of the submerged nozzle in a direction upward from the horizontal direction with a position of the point P satisfying the following expression (1):

0.15≤ M/W≤ 0.45  (1)

wherein W represents a distance (mm) between the short edges facing each other at a level of the molten steel surface, and M represents a distance (mm) in the long edge direction from a center position in the long edge direction between the short edges facing each other to the point P; and

(B) the molten steel is discharged from the discharge ports of the submerged nozzle to satisfy the following expression (2):

0≤ L− 0.17 Vi≤ 350  (2)

wherein L represents a distance (mm) from a center position of the outlet opening of the discharge port of the submerged nozzle to the point P, and Vi represents a discharge velocity (mm/s) of the molten steel at the outlet opening of the discharge port.

2. The continuous casting method according to claim 1 , wherein the two discharge ports of the submerged nozzle each have an area of the outlet opening viewed in a discharge direction of from 950 to 3,500 mm 2 .

3. The continuous casting method according to claim 1 , wherein L in the expression (2) is 450 mm or less.

4. The continuous casting method according to claim 1 , wherein a casting rate is 0.90 m/min or more.

5. The continuous casting method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel is a stainless steel having a C content of 0.12% by mass or less and a Cr content of from 10.5 to 32.0% by mass.

6. The continuous casting method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel is a ferritic stainless steel containing, in terms of percentage by mass, from 0.001 to 0.080% of C, from 0.01 to 1.00% of Si, from 0.01 to 1.00% of Mn, from 0 to 0.60% of Ni, from 10.5 to 32.0% of Cr, from 0 to 2.50% of Mo, from 0.001 to 0.080% of N, from 0 to 1.00% of Ti, from 0 to 1.00% of Nb, from 0 to 1.00% of V, from 0 to 0.80% of Zr, from 0 to 0.80% of Cu, from 0 to 0.30% of Al, from 0 to 0.010% of B, and the balance of Fe, with unavoidable impurities.