Abstract
A recent analytical model for the liquid aluminum flow in a direct chill (DC) casting sump has been investigated and the scaling coefficients evaluated. The magnitudes of flow-field features, such as the depth of the temperature stratification in the sump and the velocity of the metal in the thermal boundary layer close to the solidification front, have been calculated. The results broadly agree with recent full numerical calculations of the flow in the sump. The variation of these essential flow features has been investigated across a range of typical ingot sizes, casting speeds, and superheats, and critical macro-casting-parameter combinations have been identified. The limitations of the model are discussed and the possible effects the identified structure has on macrosegregation are briefly explored. Finally, the influence on the flow field of the method of feeding the ingot is investigated, and it is concluded that the model and these results are not invalidated if the feeding is nonuniform over the top surface of the sump.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 491-499 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 1997 |
Keywords
- MICROSTRUCTURE FORMATION
- SOLIDIFICATION PROCESSES
- NATURAL-CONVECTION
- MODEL
- INGOT
- mathematical modelling