Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, and Solidification in AISI 304 Stainless Steel Twin-Roll Strip Casting
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Experimental Methods
2.1. Casting Procedure and Material
2.2. Modeling
2.3. Assumptions and Governing Equations
- A quarter-symmetry geometry was constructed based on the symmetrical distribution of flow and temperature fields in the molten pool.
- The casting process was treated as a steady-state process.
- The influence of segregation behavior on heat transfer and fluid flow was neglected.
- Except for the roller/steel interface, heat transfer on the other surfaces had a very minor influence on the results and was ignored in the calculation process.
- Free surface fluctuations were not incorporated in the model.
2.4. Initial/Boundary Conditions
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Evolutions of Macroscopic Physical Field for Twin-Roll Strip Casting
3.2. Evolutions of Solidification Structure for Twin-Roll Strip Casting
3.3. Comparisons Between Modeling and Experiment
3.4. Influence of Superheat on Solidification and Macrostructure Formation for Twin-Roll Strip Casting
4. Conclusions
- The model demonstrated high accuracy through temperature field predictions deviating less than 5% from experimental measurements (average 1384.3 °C) and solidification structure simulations matching EBSD-observed equiaxed grain fractions within 5% error.
- The flow field and flow trajectory showed obvious recirculation zones: the center area was mainly composed of large recirculation zones, and many small recirculation zones appeared at the edges. The position of the kiss point becomes a key process indicator, and its distance from the bottom of the pool is inversely proportional to the superheat (15.8 mm at 30 °C and 6.2 mm at 110 °C).
- Parametric studies further established that low superheat (30 °C) increased melt viscosity, restricted convection, and promoted coarse columnar grains (equiaxed fraction: 8.9%), whereas high superheat (110 °C) enhanced fluid renewal and equiaxed nucleation (26.5%) despite lower total solidification (8.3%).
- For AISI 304 stainless steel, expanding the equiaxed zone improved ductility, while grain refinement contributed to boundary strengthening. Consequently, control of superheat enables solidification structure to be adjusted according to the target mechanical properties. In industry, monitoring the location of the kiss point can enable real-time diagnosis of solidification, rolling force, and quality risks of steel strips.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Element | C | Cr | Ni | Mn | Si |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
wt.% | 0.045 | 18.25 | 8.1 | 1.25 | 0.45 |
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Lu, J.; Wang, W.; Dou, K. Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, and Solidification in AISI 304 Stainless Steel Twin-Roll Strip Casting. Metals 2025, 15, 749. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15070749
Lu J, Wang W, Dou K. Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, and Solidification in AISI 304 Stainless Steel Twin-Roll Strip Casting. Metals. 2025; 15(7):749. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15070749
Chicago/Turabian StyleLu, Jingzhou, Wanlin Wang, and Kun Dou. 2025. "Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, and Solidification in AISI 304 Stainless Steel Twin-Roll Strip Casting" Metals 15, no. 7: 749. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15070749
APA StyleLu, J., Wang, W., & Dou, K. (2025). Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, and Solidification in AISI 304 Stainless Steel Twin-Roll Strip Casting. Metals, 15(7), 749. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15070749