Comprehensive model for a slag bath in electroslag remelting process with a current-conductive mould

A mathematical model was developed to describe the interaction of multiple physical fields in a slag bath during electroslag remelting （ESR） process with a current-conductive mould. The distributions of current density, magnetic induction intensity, electromagnetic force, Joule heating, fluid flow and temperature were simulated. The model was verified by temperature measurements during remelting 12CrMoVG steel with a slag of 50wt%-70wt% CaF2, 20wt%-30wt% CaO, 10wt%-20wt% A1203, and 〈10wt% SiO2 in a 600 mm diameter current-conductive mould. There is a good agreement between the calculated temperature results and the measured data in the slag bath. The calculated results show that the maximum values of current density, electromagnetic force and Joule heating are in the region between the comer electrodes and the conductivity element. The characteristics of current density distribution, magnetic induction intensity, electromagnetic force, Joule heating, velocity patterns and temperature profiles in the slag bath during ESR process with current-conductive mould were analyzed.

Study on primary carbides precipitation in H13 tool steel regarding cooling rate during solidification

This study aims to investigate the primary carbides precipitation in H13 steel solidified at relatively high cooling rates,ranging from 300 to 6,000℃·min^-1,based on in situ observations with a high temperature confocal laser scanning microscope.In the cooling rate range investigated,the solidification microstructure becomes more refined as cooling rate increases and the relationship between the secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS),λ2,and cooling rate,.T,can be expressed asλ2=128.45.T-0.124.Regardless of cooling rates,two kinds of primary carbides,i.e.,the Mo-Cr-rich and V-rich carbides,are precipitated along the interdendritic region and most of them are the Mo-Cr-rich carbides.The morphology of Mo-Cr-rich carbide is not obviously influenced by the cooling rate,but that of V-rich carbide is obviously affected.The increasing cooling rate markedly refines the primary carbides and reduces their volume fractions,but their precipitations cannot be inhibited even when the cooling rate is increased to 6,000℃·min^-1.Besides,the segregation ratios(SRs)of the carbides forming elements are not obviously affected by the cooling rate.However,compared with the conventionally cast ingot,the SDAS and primary carbides in the steel solidified at the investigated cooling rates are much finer,morphologies of the carbides have changed significantly,and SRs of the carbides forming elements are markedly greater.The variation of primary carbide characteristics with cooling rate is mainly due to the change in SDAS.

Industrial test of a 6-m long bearing steel ingot by electroslag remelting withdrawing process

In this study, the key technologies of a 6-m long bearing steel ingot produced by electroslag remelting withdrawing(ESRW) process, including bifilar mode supply, slag system development, and design of mold, were studied based on the laboratory research achievements. The 6-m long ingot of bearing steel GGr15 with a cross-section of 300 mm × 340 mm was produced using the ESRW process with a bifilar mode and a multi-taper T-mold in a plant. The testing results show that the melting rate using the ESRW bifilar mode technology is three times faster than traditional electroslag remelting(ESR), and the power consumption is only 1,320 k Wh per ton steel. Through testing for the chemical composition, macrostructure and inclusions of remelted ingot, it can be concluded that the ESRW bifilar mode technology not only retains the characteristics of traditional ESR, but also improves the production efficiency and reduces the cost compared to traditional ESR.

Effect of Zr on solidification and microstructure of a Ni-based superalloy with high Al and Ti contents

The total content of Al and Ti in advanced Ni-based wrought superalloys is up to 7.5wt.%,which makes it easier to form harmful nonequilibrium eutectic(γ+γ′)andηphase.It has been reported that the addition of certain amount of Zr can modify precipitation of the nonequilibrium phases obviously,but the mechanism is still controversial.The effect of Zr ranging from<0.0006wt.%to 0.150wt.%on solidification behavior,segregation and microstructure of a Ni-based superalloy with high Al and Ti contents was investigated,eliminating the interferences of C and B.Results show that increase in Zr content significantly promotes the formation of eutectic(γ+γ′),ηand Zr-rich phase in the interdendritic region.Besides the Zr-rich phase,Zr dissolves slightly in the eutecticγ′and obviously in theηphase.An interesting phenomenon is discovered that the Zr addition significantly increases the area fraction of liquid pools and enlarges the forming range ofγdendrites,which suggests that Zr markedly retards the solidification.Zr affects the eutectic(γ+γ′)andηformation mainly due to the retard of solidification and dissolution of Zr in them.The retard of solidification obviously increases the residual liquid fraction and undercooling.Zr can serve as a forming element for the eutectic(γ+γ′)andηphase,and the obvious dissolution of Zr inηphase significantly decreases the critical concentration of Ti for its precipitation.

Reaction behavior of MgO refractory with high-Mn and high-Al steel

To understand the mechanism of the interfacial reaction between high-Mn and high-Al steel and MgO refractory,a series of laboratory experiments as well as thermodynamic calculations were performed.The effects of Mn and Al contents in the steel and the reaction time on the interfacial reaction were investigated.It was observed that the erosion of the MgO refractory is caused by the reaction of Al and Mn in the steel with MgO in the refractory,which would lead to the formation of(Mn,Mg)O·Al_(2)O_(3) spinel and(Mn,Mg)O solid solution.The formation mechanism of the spinel and solid solution is as follows.The Al in the steel firstly reacts with MgO in the refractory to generate MgO·Al_(2)O_(3) spinel,and then,the spinel reacts with Mn in the steel to form(Mn,Mg)O·Al_(2)O_(3) spinel.Finally,the MnO in the spinel reacts with the MgO in the inner refractory to form(Mn,Mg)O solid solution.In addition,only(Mn,Mg)O·Al_(2)O_(3) spinel is present in the interfacial reaction layer of the refractory when the Al content in the steel is sufficient.

Formation and evolution of Al/steel interface structure in composite casting

Al/steel composite materials were prepared using liquid-solid composite casting method,with aluminum as the liquid and 45 steel rods as the solid.The key factors affecting the formation and evolution of intermetallic compounds at the Al/steel reaction interface were studied.Results show that the defects present in the intermetallic compounds prepared at a liquid temperature of 900℃and a holding time of 20 s are the least.The average hardness of Fe_(2)Al_(5)phase is 3 times higher than that of 45 steel and more than 7 times higher than that of pure aluminum.The average shear strength of the sample obtained through air cooling is higher than that of water cooling,and Fe_(2)Al_(5)phase is the main reason for the brittle fracture of the sample.The activation energy calculation of intermetallic compounds reveals that Fe_(2)Al_(5)is easy to grow up than FeAl_(3)phase under air cooling conditions,and FeAl_(3)is easy to grow up than Fe_(2)Al_(5)phase under water cooling conditions.This work offers assistance in studying the formation of intermetallic compounds during composite casting processes.

Microstructure and hot ductility behavior of Ni-based superalloy U720Li with boron addition

High-alloyed superalloy U720 Li is difficult to be processed through the conventional cast and wrought route.Boron is an important strengthening element for superalloys,but the role of boron in the hot ductility of U720 Li alloy is not clear.This study is focused on the effect of boron addition,in the range of<0.0005 wt%-0.0240 wt%,on the microstructure and hot ductility behavior of superalloy U720 Li.It is found that boron addition significantly increases the content of eutectic(γ+γ’)and greatly affects the degree of continuity of the grain boundary eutectic(γ+γ’)precipitation.Boron addition dramatically worsens the 1100℃ tensile ductility of conventional cast U720 Li alloy and causes a change in tensile fracture mode from transgranular to intergranular.The eutectic(γ+γ’)represents the most effective site for crack initiation.Boron deteriorates the hot ductility mainly by promoting the continuous precipitation of eutectic(γ+γ’)along the grain boundary.

Mathematical Modeling of ESR Process for Hollow Ingot with Current Supplying Mould

With ificreasing demand for large cylindrical forgings, a new technology--electroslag remelting （ESR） for direct manufacture of hollow ingots rather than solid ingots has been developed. The main features of the process include a T-shaped current supplying mould （CSM）, double power supply, an ingot withdrawing system, a metal level automatic control system based on a level sensor using the electromagnetic eddy current method, and the exchange of a consumable multi-electrode. ANSYS software was used to calculate the fluid flow and heat transfer in the slag bath 1 and metal pool of this ESR hollow ingot process with its T-shaped CSM. The mathematmal model was Verified by measuring the geometry of the liquid metal pool as observed in the macrostructure of 4650 mm （external diameter）/ 4450 mm （internal diameter） hollow ingots by sulphur print method： the. observed shape and depth of the s!ag bath were consistent with the simulated results. Simulation of the ESR process can improve understanding of the process and allow better operating parameters to be selected.

An innovative method for calibrating local cooling rate in electroslag remelting of M42 high-speed steel

The determination of the local cooling rate has a great significance in optimizing the parameters of electroslag remelting(ESR)and improving the quality of the ingots.An innovative method was proposed for calibrating the local cooling rate of M42 high-speed steel(HSS)in the ESR process.After resolidification at different cooling rates under high-temperature laser confocal microscopy,the carbide network spacing of the specimen was observed using a scanning electron microscope.A functional relationship between the cooling rate and average carbide network spacing was established.The average local cooling rate of the solidification process of the M42 HSS ingot was calibrated.The results show that the higher the cool-ing rate,the smaller the network spacing of the carbides.For the steel ingot with a diameter of 360 mm,the average local cooling rate was 0.562℃/s at the surface,0.057℃/s at the position of 0.25D(where D is the diameter of the ingot),and 0.046℃/s at the center of the ingot.

Determination of real-time oxygen transfer rate based on an electrochemical method

The interfacial oxygen transfer rate is one of the main factors to control the composition of alloys.The commonly employed method of studying the interfacial oxygen transfer rate is the chemical composition analysis;however,it is difficult to be studied in situ.Here,a new method of measuring the oxygen transfer rate at the gas-slag and slag-metal interfaces was reported based on electrochemical analyses.The interfacial oxygen transfer rate in the smelting process of Inconel 718 superalloy was investigated at 1723,1773,1823,and 1873 K.The experimental results show that the electrochemical method can measure the real-time oxygen content;hence,this method is promising in controlling the oxygen content in alloys.As the temperature increased,both the equilibrium oxygen content and the rate of oxygen absorption increased significantly,and the increase was the most obvious when the temperature was 1873 K.The possible reason is that the increase in temperature weakens the mass transfer resistance of the electric double layer at the interface,thus accelerating the oxygen transfer rate.

Modeling of flow and temperature distribution in electroslag remelting withdrawal process for fabricating large-scale slab ingots

Currently, the market demands for large-scale and high-quality slab ingots are increasing significantly. A novel electroslag remelting withdrawal （ESRW） process with two series-connected electrodes and a T- shaped mould was developed to produce large-scale and high-quality slab ingots. It is very difficult to ob- tain large slab ingots with good surface quality and high width-to-thickness ratio. And it is not efficient for improving the quality of slab ingots by using trial-and-error-based approaches because the ESRW mecha- nisms are very complex. Thus, a three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to determine the relationship between process parameters and physical phenomena during the ESRW process. The relation- ship between the temperature field of the ESRW process and the surface quality of slab ingots was estab- lished. A good agreement between the simulated and measured temperature fields of slab ingots was ob- tained. The results indicate that the maximum values of current density, electromagnetic force and Joule heat all occur at the electrode-slag interface between the two electrodes. It can be found that the flow is turbulent and the temperature distribution is uniform in the slag pool with the influences of buoyancy and electromagnetic force. The wrinkles in the narrow faces of slab ingots are caused by the relatively lower in- put power. Increasing the electrode width and reducing the curvature can significantly improve the surface quality of slab ingots.

Effect of atmospheric pressure on physical parameters of steels and solidification conditions during PESR process:a review

The pressurized electroslag remelting(PESR)process has a remarkable impact on manufacturing high nitrogen steels,which can alter the physical parameters of steels and solidification conditions at different atmospheric pressures.The principle and applications of the PESR process are reviewed.The effect of atmospheric pressure,including Gibbs free energy,nitrogen solubility,melting point,viscosity,diffusion coefficient,partition coefficient,and nucleation rate,is explicitly expressed by empirical knowledge and quantified by thermodynamic relationships.The variation of interfacial heat transfer coefficient is discussed at different atmospheric pressures.Furthermore,the effect of atmospheric pressure on physical parameters of steels and solidification conditions during the PESR process is still in their embryonic research stage and it is important to do further study in this research field.Finally,a general concluding remark and suggestions for future development are proposed.

Electroslag Remelting Withdrawing Technology for Offshore Jack-up Platform Rack Steel Manufacturing Process

Offshore jack up platform rack steel must exhibit high strength and toughness as well as excellent welding properties. A high-quality large ingot is a prerequisite for obtaining a high-performance rough part. The electroslag remelting withdrawing （ESRW） technology using a T-shaped mold and bifilar mode was introduced to replace casting technology. Numerical simulation of the ESRW process was performed to determine the distribution of the temperature and velocity fields and to determine the optimum process for producing rack steels. Several A514Q slab ingots with dimensions of 0.32 m×1.40 m × 4.00 m were produced using ESRW technology in an industrial plant. The industrial test indicated that slab ingots produced by the ESRW method exhibited uniform chemical compositions and compact macrostructures. A 115.4 mm thick plate was produced from the rough ingot after 11 roiling passes. Samples were obtained from different positions in the steel plate to test the mechanical performance and examine the microstructure, and the results revealed that the properties of the steel plate satisfied ASTM standards. The ESRW process improved the tensile strength and toughness of the slab ingot, enabling significant improvements in the anisotropy and low temperature toughness, which are critical for the development of rack steel for offshore platforms.