Finite-element analysis of a vertical twin-roll casting

Abstract

Metallic strips can be produced by twin-roll casting, in which the melt is cooled, solidified, and rolled to a specific thickness. In the present study, the rigid-thermoviscoplastic finite-element method was applied to the analysis of complex phenomena including melt flow, heat transfer, solidification, and plastic deformation occurring in a vertical twin-roll casting of magnesium alloy AZ31. The melt was found to be confined in rotational motions of two symmetric vortexes developed at the roll entrance, and thus only the melt near the nozzle wall became solidified and rolled to a sheet. As the nozzle thickness increased, the vortex increased in size resulting in more bifurcation and instability, which are definitely adverse to material properties of the strip. The maximum cooling rate of 600 °C/s was found at the centerline as solidification took place at the roll exit. Other findings are also discussed including roll force, roll torque, and pressure distribution, which were greatly dependent upon the plastic deformation after solidification.