Numerical simulation of the flow field and temperature field in direct-chill casting of 2024 aluminium alloy under the influence of intensive melt shearing

In the direct–chill (DC) casting process, the application of intensive melt shearing has a significant grain refining effect on the ingot. Understanding the variation of the flow field and temperature field during the DC casting process under the influence of intensive melt shearing is very important to study the mechanism of grain refinement. In this paper, the COMSOL software was used to simulate the flow field and temperature field in the process of DC castingφ300 mm ingots of 2024 aluminium alloy under different casting conditions. The influence of intensive melt shearing and casting speed on the flow field and temperature field were studied. The results showed that intensive melt shearing can increase the width of two-phase zone, change the morphology of the sump, and significantly enhance the convection of the melt.