Numerical and experimental study of rolling faces pull-in during direct chill casting of aluminum alloys
- Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland). Lab. de Metallurgie Physique
- Alusuisse-Lonza Services Ltd., Chippis (Switzerland)
During direct chill (DC) casting, aluminum ingots contract in a non-uniform manner. The use of rectangular moulds would produce ingots with a concave cross-section (bone shape). In order to compensate for the non-uniform contraction of the rolling faces, moulds are designed with a convex shape by trials and errors. The numerical simulation of ingot distortion during DC-casting can be a valuable help for the optimization of the design of a mould capable of producing flat ingots. The transient thermomechanical model presented here predicts the deformation and the temperature field evolutions during DC-casting. Deformation in the solid is assumed to obey a viscoplastic law and the evolutive domain (liquid plus solid) is modeled by the successive activation of element layers. The cooling conditions on the lateral faces of the ingot are deduced from temperature measurements, using an inverse method. The mechanical properties of the alloys have been determined up to, and even above, the solidus temperature using various mechanical tests. The numerical computations have been implemented in the finite element package Abaqus. The simulation results are validated on the basis of measurements of profiles of DC-cast ingots after complete cooling. The present model enables to predict the influence of casting parameters on butt curl and swell, rolling faces pull-in and residual stress state.
- OSTI ID:
- 227745
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9509118--; ISBN 0-87339-297-3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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