Modeling of Thermo-Mechanical Stresses in Twin-Roll Casting of Aluminum Alloys

Abstract

A two-dimensional steady state thermo-mechanical stress model was developed using the commercial structural analysis package ANSYS, to compute the stresses arising from thermal gradients and mechanical loads applied to strip and roll during a horizontal twin-roll thin strip casting process. The finite element mesh and the nodal temperature values obtained from the fluid flow, heat transfer, and solidification model developed on FIDAP, were transported to ANSYS. Mechanical loads like roll separating force and strip exit tension were also applied on the strip. A visco-plastic constitutive relation has been used to describe the behavior of solidifying aluminum alloy. The effects of inlet velocity of the melt and contact strip/roll heat transfer coefficient on the resultant stress profile in the strip and the rolls were investigated.