The specialized module allows for setting any geometry of the crystallizer and the trajectory of the ingot's movement in the installation, taking into account the thermal and force interaction with all the elements of the traction, guide mechanisms, etc.
Temperature and phase fields
Slab solidification
Macro and microporosity
Residual stresses
Cracks (hot and cold)
Elastic deformations
Plastic deformations
Metal structure
PoligonSoft enables investigation into the influence of various technological parameters on the quality of the parts, identifying the relationship between variations of these parameters and the occurrence of defective parts.
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Save significant costs in materials and labor, in addition to reducing product development time.
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Prevent and correct casting defects, such as porosity, air inclusions, or solidification issues.
Experiment with different variables of the casting process to find the most efficient configuration.
3D Model
Solution Scheme
Thermal and Phase Fields
Residual Stresses
Crack Prediction
Heat transfer at the alloy-chillplate interface (virtual)
Heat transfer at the alloy-rolls interface
Slab speed
Rolls temperature
Mold temperature
Heat transfer at the
alloy-environment interface in each secondary cooling zone (for each surface) and outside secondary cooling zones
Heat transfer at the
alloy-mold interface
Thermal and Stress
alloy properties
Casting temperature and melt level in the mold
In creating the continuous casting model, we took into account both the advantages and the disadvantages of other approaches to addressing this problem. As a result, our solution allows for more complete modeling of the continuous casting process in comparison with similar solutions.
What we offer:
Modeling of the continuous casting process of products of any section (rectangular, circular, etc.).
Ability to define any trajectory of slab movement.
User-friendly and easy-to-handle interface.
Capability to calculate stresses.
1 - Metal Level in the Crystallizer
2 - Thermal Interaction Zone with the Crystallizer
3 - Space Before the Cooling Zone
4 - Water Cooling Zone
5 - Area Below the Level of the Drains
An analysis is required for typical casting regimes, to find the temperature distribution in the established regime, predict the integrity of the ingot, and examine the characteristics of the residual stresses.
Alloy: D19ch brand aluminum alloy
Ingot Section: 1671x492, barrel shape, height 6700 mm
Crystallizer Height: 115 mm
Metal Temperature (in the mixer): 710 °C
Crystallizer: 6061-T6 brand aluminum alloy
Cooling Water Temperature: 25 °C
Ambient Temperature: 20 °C
Metal Level in the Crystallizer: 55 mm from the top
Water Cooling Zones: 30 mm below the lower edge of the crystallizer, extending 270 mm
The cooling zones are bounded at the bottom by drainage systems that completely remove the water below their level.
Animation: temperature and phase fields during the ingot solidification (longitudinal section along the wide face)
Temperature distribution along the ingot (step of 300 mm, cross-section) in steady state regime.
Secondary reheating of the ingot surface below the level of the drains (steady state regime).
Reaching a steady thermal regime in casting means the stabilization of the characteristics of the structure and properties of the metal throughout the volume of the ingot. The most significant factor in this case is the stabilization of temperatures and dimensions of the liquid metal cavity.
Increase in temperatures as the ingot passes through the control points (1-8 in the longitudinal cut along the narrow edge; interval of marking points of 100 mm, counting from the level in the crystallizer) and their stabilization over time during the casting cycle period.
Position of the liquid phase isosurfaces within the volume of the cavity.
Control levels, with temperature distributions along the thickness of the ingot in relation to cooling zones on the surface (in green on the right)
The analysis of ingot manufacturing by the semi-continuous casting method can include the calculation of the stress-strain state to predict the fields of stresses, deformations, displacements, the tendency to the formation of hot cracks, among others.
Displacement Field (x20)
Intensity of Plastic Deformations
The macro- and microporosity model in PoligonSoft allows predicting the formation of defects associated both with the lack of feeding in areas that remain above the level of the molten metal, as well as in the process of molten metal filtration into the dendritic framework. In application to the task of semi-continuous casting, this type of analysis is available when accessing the functionality of the universal heat transfer model in sliding contact.
Areas of concentration of microporosity in the ingot body above the level of the isosurface 0.3% (on the left); distribution in the cross-section (on the right).
The calculations showed a tendency for the formation of microporosity up to 0.5% in the axial zone, caused by the specific characteristics of solidification of the wide-range alloy and the heat dissipation conditions that are present.
The ingot configuration and moderate casting speeds ensure a clear directionality in solidification, which prevents the formation of isolated and fragmented areas of molten metal, with the subsequent formation of macroporosity.
Measures to control the level of microporosity and reduce the amplitude of the two-phase zone can be further analyzed by modeling.
3D Model of the Continuous Steel Casting Installation No. 2 of PAO 'Severstal'. The secondary cooling zones are shown in color.
3D Model of the Crystallizer
Cooling Channels within the Crystallizer
Since PoligonSoft can simulate flow processes, it's possible to model how, at the beginning of the process, the mold is filled with molten metal from the ladle and then use these temperatures for subsequent calculations.
An accurate model of the crystallizer is used to study how the casting speed affects the thickness of the solid layer that forms on the slab.
Comparison of the temperature at control points obtained as a result of the simulation with the actual temperatures on the thermocouples of the casting machine considering water cooling.
Measurements, Simulation , Water Consumption
We use an elastoplastic model that allows modeling of elastic and plastic deformations and an additional criterion to evaluate the probability of cold crack formation on the surface of the slab.
Plastic Deformation
Tension
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