Temperature and Thermal Expansion Analysis of the Cooling Roller Based on the Variable Heat Flux Boundary Condition

Abstract

Planar flow casting (PFC) is a primary method for preparing an amorphous ribbon. The qualities of the amorphous ribbon are significantly influenced by the temperature and thermal expansion of the cooling roller. This study proposes a new approach to analyze the three-dimensional temperature and thermal expansion of the cooling roller using variable heat flux that acted on the cooling roller as a boundary condition. First, a simplified two-dimensional model of the PFC is developed to simulate the distribution of the heat flux in the circumferential direction with the software FLUENT. The resulting heat flux is extended to be three-dimensional in the ribbon’s width direction. Then, the extended heat flux is imported as the boundary condition by the CFX Expression Language, and the transient temperature of the cooling roller is analyzed in the CFX software. Next, the transient thermal expansion of the cooling roller is simulated through the thermal–structural coupling method. Simulation results show that the roller’s temperature and expansion are unevenly distributed, reach the peak value in the middle width direction, and the quasi-steady state of the maximum temperature and thermal expansion are achieved after approximately 50 s and 150 s of casting, respectively. The minimum values of the temperature and expansion are achieved when the roller has a thickness of 45 mm. Finally, the reliability of the approach proposed is verified by measuring the roller’s thermal expansion on the spot. This study provides theoretical guidance for the roller’s thermal expansion prediction and the gap adjustment in the PFC.