Horizontal Single Belt Casting of Aluminum and Steel

• Published in: Steel research international 2014-08, Vol.85 (8), p.1291-1302
• Main Authors: Guthrie, Roderick I. L., Isac, Mihaiela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum base alloys; Bottom casting; Casting; Casting belts; computational fluid mechanics; Fluxes; Horizontal; interfacial heat fluxes; iso-kinetic delivery of molten metal; Microstructure; Near net shaping; Steel alloys; Structural steels; substrate topology; Weight reduction
• ISSN: 1611-3683; 1869-344X
• DOI: 10.1002/srin.201300105

The horizontal single belt casting of steels and non‐ferrous alloy systems is by far the simplest of all near net shape casting machines (NNSC), but paradoxically, the least researched, and tested. With the imminent start‐up of the world's first horizontal single belt casting (HSBC) caster manufactured by SMS Siemag for operation at Salzgitter's steelplant at Peine, we review some of the fundamental experiments that have been carried out at McGill, in support of the HSBC casting concept. We show how the heat fluxes from the strip to the water‐cooled belt can be predicted from first principles, and how the bottom substrate of the strip can be rendered perfectly smooth. Similarly, we demonstrate how the cast microstructure can be superior to more conventional casting processes. We present ab‐initio predictions of instantaneous heat fluxes from liquid metals freezing on a cooling substrate. We note that instantaneous heat fluxes depend on the material properties of the two phases and an interfacial gas phase, on surface topography and possible interfacial chemical reactions. We consider these in the HSBC (Horizontal Belt Casting) Process for the production of AA6111 aluminum alloy sheet for automobiles.