3-DIMENSIONAL MATHEMATICAL-MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF CONTINUOUS BEAM BLANK CASTING USING BODY-FITTED COORDINATE SYSTEM

A 3-dimensional mathematical model has been developed for a fully coup led analysis with fluid flow and heal transfer in the continuously cas t beam blank. A body fitted coordinate system was introduced for the c omplex geometry of the beam blank. This enables the general program to be formulated to analyze the transport phenomena in the arbitrary sha ped geometry. The effects of turbulence and natural convection on flui d flow in the strand were incorporated. The temperature distribution a nd solidification of the strand coupled with the fluid flow were also analyzed. The solidus and liquidus temperatures of the steel were dete rmined with microsegregation model under the given composition of stee l. The effects of fluid flow on the heat transfer, the solidification of steel and the development of shell thickness during the casting of the beam blank were simulated at various casting speed. The recirculat ing flows appeared in the regions of he web and the flange tip, howeve r, it was not developed between the nozzle and the flange center,The f low normal to the casting direction in the region of the web moved to the upper region of the flange tip near the meniscus. The development of solidifying shell in the center of the flange tip was slowest at th e initial stage of the solidification. The development of solidifying shell in the regions of the fillet and the flange center became slow d own after the impinging of the inlet flow from the nozzle on the solid ifying shell.