Experimental determination of heat transfer across the metal/mold gap in a direct chill (DC) casting mold—part I: Effect of gap size and mold gas type

An experimental apparatus to determine the heat-transfer coefficient in the gap formed between the cast metal and the mold wall of a vertical direct chill (DC) casting mold is described. The apparatus simulates the conditions existing within the confines of the DC casting mold and measures the heat flux within the gap. Measurements were made under steady-state conditions, simulating the steady-state regime of the DC casting process. A range of casting parameters that may affect the heat transfer was tested using this apparatus. In the current article, the operation of the apparatus is described along with the results for the effect of gas type within the mold, and the size of the metal-mold gap formed during casting. The results show that the gas type and the gap size significantly affect the heat transfer within a DC casting mold. The measured heat fluxes for all the conditions tested were expressed as a linear correlation between the heat-transfer coefficient and the metal-mold gap size, and the fluxes can be used to estimate the heat transfer between the metal and the mold at any gap size. These results are compared to values reported in the literature and recommendations are made for the future reporting of the metal/mold heat-transfer coefficient for DC casting. The results for the effect of the other parameters tested are described in Part II of the article

Experimental determination of heat transfer within the metal/mold gap in a DC casting mold: Part II. effect of casting metal, mold material, and other casting parameters

Extensive experimental studies were conducted to quantify the effect of different parameters that can affect the heat transfer from the metal to the mold during the steady-state phase of DC casting. In the first part previously published, the experimental technique was established and results were reported for the effect of gas type (atmosphere within the mold) and the gap between the metal and the mold. The results showed the significant effect of gas thermal conductivity and the metal-mold gap on the mold wall heat transfer coefficient. In this second publication on heat transfer in the mold wall region of a DC casting mold, the results from the effect of casting temperature, gas flow rate, casting alloy, mold material, and the mold insert material on the mold wall heat transfer coefficient are described. The experiments reported in the current paper show that these additional factors tested do not affect the heat flux through the mold wall to the same extent as the gap size or the gas type. The heat transfer coefficient changes by less than 5 pct when casting temperature is changed by ±25 K, less than 15 pct when the gas flow rate within the metal-mold gap flows at up to 3 LPM, and approximately 30 pct when the mold material is changed from stainless steel to AA601 to copper. Similar results were obtained when different insert materials were used. These results are explained with the help of an electrical analogy of heat transfer and are consistent with the heat transfer theory