Numerical simulations of the Cu/Al composite plate continuous cast-rolling process

A two dimensional steady state laminar flow model was established using finite volume software to study the effects of rolling speed and melt pouring temperature on the bonding performance of a copper/aluminum composite plate manufactured using a cast-rolling process. The boundary conditions were optimized in two aspects by writing C language programs. Meanwhile, outlet temperature was measured by thermocouple in the experiment, the maximum error of the simulation and experiment was 2.8%, so the reliability of the simulation analysis was verified. The study found that semi-solid/solid contact time and rolling reduction percentage are the key factors affecting bonding, with pouring temperature and rolling speed changing which factor plays a leading role. The calculated results show that the optimal pouring temperature and casting speed are 963 K and 0.5 m min−1, respectively. Processing under these conditions results in semi-solid/solid contact time of 2.2 s and rolling reduction of 40% based on simulation results, with experimental peeling strength of 86 N mm−1. Optical images of surface morphology after peeling show that the failure mechanism of the Cu/Al composite plate is plastic and brittle fracture. This study provides guidance for optimizing cast-rolling processing parameters.