Flow field simulation of the thin metal ribbon formed by twin-belt rapid solidification

The flow field formed when an aluminum ribbon is produced by twin-belt rapid solidification is simulated with the solution algorithm (SOLA)-volume of fluid (VOF) method, and the influence of casting speed and cooling-belt velocity on the flow field is analyzed for a given ejection nozzle size. It has been found that the flow field can be filled well when the width of the ejection nozzle outlet is the same as that of the up slit of the cooling belt. When the ejection nozzle outlet is wider than the up slit of the cooling belt, the aluminum fluid can fill well if only the casting speed matches the cooling-belt velocity properly, otherwise under filling occurs in some areas in the cooling zone.