Hydraulic analysis of free-surface flows with solidification

Summary

The paper is concerned with a one-dimensional analysis of plane open-channel flow with continuous solidification. The process is of relevance for recent developments in the casting of steel and other metals. The bottom of the channel consists of a rotating casting roll and a horizontal cooling table, where the solidified material is withdrawn with given velocity. The study is restricted to the region downstream of the top of the casting roll. Surface tension is neglected.

In the main part of the analysis inviscid fluid flow is considered since the Reynolds number is very large in the applications. It is found that the steady-state solutions are nonunique in a certain parameter range. In addition to a continuous solution, there are two solutions including hydraulic jumps, with one hydraulic jump being located on the casting roll, the other one on the cooling table. Regarding the stability of the non unique solutions, the evolution of disturbances is investigated numerically as an initial-value problem. It is concluded that the hydraulic jump on the cooling table is unstable, while the other discontinuous solution as well as the continuous solution are stable for sufficiently small disturbances. Which stable solution is attained in the steady state, depends on the history of the process.

Friction at the liquid/solid interface is taken into account in the last part of the analysis. A constant friction coefficient is assumed. It is found that the history of the process determines the steady-state solution if, and only if, the friction coefficient is sufficiently small. For larger values of the friction coefficient, the steady-state solution is unique and independent of the history of the transient process. Furthermore, for sufficiently large friction coefficients, stable hydraulic jumps are found, in contrast to the inviscid case, also on the cooling table.