Thermomechanical investigation of the continuous casting of ingots using the element-based Finite-Volume Method

A computational thermomechanical simulator using the Element-based Finite-Volume Method (EbFVM) has been elaborated to investigate the solidification of continuous casting ingots. The thermal behavior was evaluated using the two-dimensional transient heat conduction equation with phase change in conjunction with numericalexperimental film coefficients. In addition, the thermal-mechanical approach includes three inelastic representations, which are based at the Ramberg-Osgood plastic and Odqvist's viscoplastic models. The simulator is validated using several benchmarks tests, along with the analytical solution of the Stefan's problem. In the context of continuous casting, in order to enhance the cooling stage in the spray zone, as well as the crack formation, a new set of sprays were proposed for the investigated case. The thermomechanical study provided by EbFVM is able to provide good results for the temperature profile and thermomechanical state that could be used to address problems caused by the cooling process of continuous casting of ingots.

Automated summary

A computational thermomechanical simulator using the Element-based Finite-Volume Method (EbFVM) has been developed to study the solidification process of continuous casting ingots. The simulator considers thermal behavior, plasticity, and viscoplasticity models, and has been validated successfully. A new spraying scheme has been proposed to enhance the cooling stage and prevent cracking during continuous casting.