Electromagnetic control of the direct strip casting process

Controlling the melt flow and free surface motion is crucial to maintain stability of many metallurgical processes. In the direct strip casting process, a known problem is the backflow of liquid metal into the small gap between the moving belt and the refractory. Apart from geometrical and feeding modifications reported in the literature to reduce the backflow, electromagnetic technologies could potentially solve this issue. We investigate numerically the application of the AC magnetic field to deflect the melt from the backflow area. Simulations show that it is possible to completely prevent the backflow but at the expense of introducing oscillations in the shape of the cast solid sheet downstream. Combination of an AC field for backflow prevention with a static (DC) magnetic field for free surface stabilisation downstream can provide a fully stable casting process. Table 1, Figs 9, Refs 25.