DIRECT PRODUCTION OF COPPER STRIP

DIRECT PRODUCTION OF COPPER STRIP HOLDS THE PROMISE OF PROVIDING COPPER STRIP FOR USE IN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS AT GREATLY REDUCED PRODUCTION AND CAPITAL COSTS. PHASE I WORK WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL MODELS OF NOZZLES SUITABLE FOR PRODUCTION OF SMOOTH STRIP WITH LESS THAN 5% GAUGE VARIATION USING A SINGLE ROLLER STRIP CASTING APPARATUS. FLUID DYNAMICS EQUATIONS OF MOTION, CONTINUITY AND ENERGY WILL BE DEVELOPED TO CHARACTERIZE IDEAL FLOW CONDITIONS PRODUCED BY A THEORETICAL NOZZLE. LITERATURE AND OTHER SOURCES WILL BE SEARCHED TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS AN ALREADY EXISTING NOZZLEDESIGN CAPABLE OF EMULATING IDEAL FLUID FLOW CONDITIONS. IFAN EXISTING NOZZLE DESIGN IS FOUND, A FULL SCALE PHYSICAL MODEL OF THE NOZZLE WILL BE BUILT OF PLEXIGLAS AND USED FOR WATER MODEL TESTING. OTHERWISE, A NEW NOZZLE WILL BE DESIGNED AND BUILT BASED ON IDEAL FLUID FLOW CONDITIONS. THE PHYSICAL MODEL OF THE NOZZLE WILL BE TESTED USING A WATER MODEL MOCK-UP OF A SINGLE ROLLER STRIP CASTER. EFFORTS WILL BE MADE TO MINIMIZE THE FROUDE NO. OF THE SYSTEM IN ORDER TO PRODUCE A SMOOTH STRIP TO SURFACE. RESULTS FROM DYE TRACER INJECTION WILL BE COMPARED WITH IDEAL FLOW CONDITIONS AND MODIFICATIONS WILL BE MADE ACCORDINGLY. A FINAL OPTIMUM NOZZLE DESIGN WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN PHASE II.