Electromagnetic Braking of Natural Convection during Ohno Continuous Casting of an Industrial Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

With the purpose of obtaining compositionally uniform ingots during Ohno continuous casting of a dilute industrial aluminum alloy through eliminating segregation due to convection, a magnetic field strength required to damp natural convection and suppress macrosegregation was numerically determined. This was achieved by solving conservation equations of continuity, momentum, energy and Maxwell's equations in order to predict the magnetic field effects on flow field (determining macrosegregation). The electromagnetic field was applied orthogonally to the natural convection flow. Through this approach, the optimum magnetic field strength required to damp natural convection and establish diffusion controlled solute transport of the alloy during solidification was established.