Simulation of multi-field problems in metallurgy

The subject of the project is the numerical calculation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows with free surfaces. The background is the analysis and optimization of new manufacturing processes for steel sheets, the strip casting process. This requires a system for uniformly feeding the molten metal onto a circulating belt. Here, the interaction between the liquid melt and an external alternating electromagnetic field is of particular importance, with the help of which a uniform thickness over the entire width of the strip is to be ensured. From a modeling and simulation point of view, this is a classic multi-field problem, since in addition to the hydrodynamic model equations, i.e. the Navier-Stokes equations, the Maxwell equations must be solved in a coupled manner. In addition, moving phase boundaries and complex material behavior of the melt have to be taken into account. The aim of the project is the further development of numerical calculation methods for such multi-field problems. These models are to be investigated using a model configuration. The configuration consists of a channel flow with a free edge; the shape of the free surface and thus the film thickness of the channel flow depend on the applied magnetic field. The project is funded by the BMBF and is part of the "Computational Material Sciences" initiative of the Simulation Science Center at Clausthal University of Technology.