Turbulence flow and heat transfer of aluminum melt in tip cavity in process of thin-gauge high-speed casting
(1.Faculty of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering,
Southern Institute of Metallurgy, Ganzhou 341000, China;
2. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering,
Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)
Southern Institute of Metallurgy, Ganzhou 341000, China;
2. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering,
Central South University, Changsha 410083, China)
Abstract: The uniformity of flow distribution of aluminum melt in tip cavity is a precondition to decide whether or not thin-gauge high-speed casting can be accomplished smoothly. The laws of aluminum melt flow and heat transfer in tip cavity can be found out through numerical simulation, which gives theoretical basis for solving the problem of the flow distribution of melt in tip cavity. A mathematical model with a low Reynolds number k—ε model for turbulence flow and heat transfer of aluminum melt in tip cavity was developed. The finite difference method was used to calculate the flow field and temperature field of aluminum melt in tip cavity. The phenomena and characteristics of turbulence flow and heat transfer were analyzed, including the characteristics of temperature distribution of turbulence similar to that of laminar flow. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results for flow velocities and temperature at the exit of tip, which verifies the validity of the simulation results.
Key words: thin-gauge high-speed casting; tip cavity; mathematical model; turbulence; heat transfer