An analytical solution for the unidirectional solidification problem

The extraction of heat from a molten casting is resisted by an imperfect thermal contact at the mold-casting interface. The nature of the contact varies throughout the casting process and has the effect of increasing the thermal resistance at the interface. This can be modelled by incorporating a gaseous gap at the mold-casting interface that grows with increasing time.

This paper is concerned with an analytical solution of the unidirectional solidification problem, which incorporates movement of the casting at the interface. The derivation of the analytical solution requires the simultaneous solution of the transient heat equations, for the mold, gaseous gap, and solid and liquid parts of the melt. The analytical solution is extended so that contamination layers on the mold and casting can be incorporated as well as an initial gap. This is achieved by introducing virtual layers of mold, gas, and casting. Using the extended solution, the effects of interfacial resistance, air conductivity, and gap variation on solidification rates are examined.