ABSTRACT
The casting technology employed in the production of thick strip is invariably the twin-belt process developed by Hazelett or the block caster invented by Alusuisse and commercialized by Golden. Alloy development remains a key area for investigation as the vast majority of wrought aluminium alloys used were developed for the direct chill casting/hot mill process route and, as such, are not necessarily compatible with the requirements of the high speed, thin strip casting route. In conventional twin-roll casting, centreline segregates occur if casting is carried out under hot conditions and can normally be eliminated by reverting to colder conditions by increasing the strip separating force. As the gauge of the cast material is reduced, the geometry of the roll bite changes and centreline segregates can only be eliminated by casting with significantly increased separating forces. An accurate description of the wedge-shaped mould geometry is obtained by transforming the constitutive equations to general curvilinear coordinates and using a body-fitted grid.
