Numerical Simulation of Flow-induced Wall Shear Stress to Study a Curved Shape Billet Caster Tundish Design

Abstract

Wall shear stress due to flow of the molten steel in the tundish is one of the factor for erosion of refractory walls which decides sequence length of a tundish. The flow-induced shear stress on the wall of a six strand curved type billet caster tundish has been computed by a 3-D mathematical model. The location of predicted peak wall shear stress was found to be same as observed in the plant after a sequence. Different design parameters of the tundish such as wall inclination angle, curvature radius, and tundish width are studied by analyzing the flow-induced wall shear stress. The role of a pouring chamber is assessed with respect to the wall shear stress. It was found that vigorous circulation around the inlet stream from shroud plays a major role in deciding the extent of the wall shear stress. Use of pouring chamber resulted in lesser wall shear stress than that of a bare tundish. The peak shear stress was found to be decreasing as any of the design parameters increased within a range. A modification in design parameter of the tundish can reduce the wall shear stress, thus may help to improve the sequence life of the tundish.