Stress Analysis of a Continuous Casting Process, on the Basis of the Element‐Free Galerkin Formulation

Abstract

The present work has been conducted in order to develop an alternative solution to the thermal‐mechanical problem in a conventional continuous casting (CC) process using the element‐free Galerkin (EFG) method. The linear momentum balance equation has been developed on the basis of this global weak formulation. The resulting equation system has been adapted to an axisymmetric stress–strain distribution over a round billet into the mold region. The constitutive laws, nonlinear aspects, path‐dependent variables, and boundary conditions have been specified. Finally, the model has been solved under a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian description in order to estimate the mechanical behavior of the billet during the CC process. A brief discussion on the importance of including the field forces into the analysis is also presented. The results have revealed that this technique could be used successfully in the modeling of continuous casting thermal‐mechanical problems. The solution by means of this formulation has exhibited a remarkable sensitivity with the casting parameters and the approach implemented to compute inelastic strains during the δ ferrite–austenite transformation.