Optimization of steel casting feeding system based on BP neural network and genetic algorithm

The trial-and-error method is widely used for the current optimization of the steel casting feeding system, which is highly random, subjective and thus ineff icient. In the present work, both the theoretical and the experimental research on the modeling and optimization methods of the process are studied. An approximate alternative model is established based on the Back Propagation(BP) neural network and experimental design. The process parameters of the feeding system are taken as the input, the volumes of shrinkage cavities and porosities calculated by simulation are simultaneously taken as the output. Thus, a mathematical model is established by the BP neural network to combine the input variables with the output response. Then, this model is optimized by the nonlinear optimization function of the genetic algorithm. Finally, a feeding system optimization of a steel traveling wheel is conducted. No shrinkage cavities and porosities are induced through the optimization. Compared to the initial design scheme, the process yield is increased by 4.1% and the volume of the riser is decreased by 5.48×10~6 mm3.

Revealing effect of aluminum alloying on work hardening and impact behaviors of low-density Fe-18Mn-1.3C-2Cr-(4,11)Al casting steel

The present study designed two kinds of Fe-18Mn-1.3C-2Cr-(4,11)Al(wt.%)low-density steels.Tensile and impact tests were carried out to evaluate the work hardening and impact toughness properties via aluminum(Al)alloying control.Meanwhile,microstructure evolution and fracture morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD),a scanning electron microscope(SEM)equipped with electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD),a transmission electron microscope(TEM),and a stereo-optical microscope(OM).It is found that the Al addition obviously promotes the dislocation planar slipping,resulting in cleavage and brittle impact fracture in 11wt.%Al steel.Besides,the microband-induced plasticity(MBIP)mechanism is found in 4wt.%Al containing steel,introducing considerable work hardening capacity and impact toughness of 156.8±17.4 J.The present study provides a direct illustration of the relationship between work hardening and impact toughness behaviors of these two low-density steels for potential application as impact-resistant components.

Effect of Alloying Elements on Thermal Wear of Cast Hot-Forging Die Steels

The effect of main alloying elements on thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steels was studied. The wear mechanism was discussed. The results show that alloying elements have significant influences on the thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steels. The wear rates decrease with an increase in chromium content from 3% to 4% and molybdenum content from 2% to 3%, respectively. With further increase of chromium and molybdenum contents, chromium slightly reduces the wear resistance and molybdenum severely deteriorates the wear resistance with high wear rate. Lower vanadium/carbon ratio （1.5-2.5） leads to a lower wear resistance with higher wear rate. With an increase in vanadium/carbon ratio, the wear resistance of the cast steel substantially increases. When vanadium/carbon ratio is 3, the wear rate reaches the lowest value. The predominant mechanism of thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steels are oxidation wear and fatigue delamination. The Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 or lumps of brittle wear debris are formed on the wear surface.

Mechanical Properties of V-,Nb-,and Ti-bearing As-cast Microalloyed Steels

The influence of microalloying additions on the mechanical properties of a low-carbon cast steel containing combinations of V, Nb, and Ti in the as-cast condition was evaluated. Tensile and hardness test results indicated that good combinations of strength and ductility could be achieved by V and Nb additions. While the yield strength and UTS （ultimate tensile strength） increased up to the range of 378-435 MPa and 579- 590 MPa, respectively in the microalloyed heats, their total elongation ranged from 18% to 23%. The presence of Ti, however, led to some reduction in the strength. Microstructural studies including scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and optical microscopy revealed that coarse TiN particles were responsible for this behavior. The Charpy impact values of all compositions indicated that microalloying additions significantly decreased the impact energy and led to the dominance of cleavage facets on the fracture surfaces. It seems that the increase in the hardness of coarse ferrite grains due to the precipitation hardening is the main reason for brittle fracture.

Research on Thermal Wear of Cast Hot Forging Die Steel Modified by Rare Earths

Thermal wear of cast hot-forging die steel modified by rare earths（RE） was studied and compared with commercially used die steels. The function of RE and the mechanism of thermal wear of cast steel modified by RE were discussed. The results showed that with increasing content of RE, the wear rate of cast steel reduced at first and then increased. By adding 0.05% （mass fraction） RE, the cast hot-forging die steel with optimum thermal wear resistance was obtained, which was better than that of H13 and 3Cr2WSV. The large amount of coarse inclusions, （RE）2O2S, resulted from excessive RE, which obviously deteriorated thermal wear resistance. The mechanism of thermal wear of the modified cast die steel is oxidation wear and oxide fatigue delamination. The wear debris are lumps of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.

Precipitation and growth of titanium nitride during solidification of clean steel

With the help of solidification kinetics, precipitation and growth of TiNhave been studied theoretically and the effect of cooling rate on the growth of TiN has beendiscussed. Through induction electric furnace experiment and electroslag remelting experiment withdifferent cooling rates, the distribution and particle size of TiN were investigated. It is provedthat the higher cooling rate is, the smaller the final size of TiN is and the more TiN particles canbe found in the steel. That TiN can restrain the growth of columnar crystal and enhance theproportion of equiaxed crystals to refine solidification structure as the heterogeneous nucleationsites of δ-ferrite is confirmed preliminarily. A new method to reduce macrosegregation incontinuous cast steel is provided.

Spheroidization and Ostwald Growth of Carbide in Isothermal Process of Hot-Deformed High Carbon Chromium Cast Steel

In isothermal spheroidizing process,the spheroidization and growth of the carbide formed in hot-deformed high-carbon chromium cast steel at high temperature were investigated.The results showed that the spheroidizing growth of carbide proceeds in such a way that the bigger carbide particles swallow the smaller ones,and the short rhabdoid carbides dissolve and are spheroidized by itself.When the samples were held at 720℃ for more than 3 h,the spheroidization is not obvious.The feature of the process is the size increment and the amount decrement of carbide particles.The empirical equation for growth rate of carbides was obtained.The volume fraction of carbides keeps constant.The growth process agrees well with Ostwald Ripening Law.

Microstructure and Property of High Carbonic-Chromium Cast Steel with Different Hot Deformation Ratio

The microstructure and properties of high carbonic-chromium cast steel subjected to different hot deformation ratios were studied.The experimental results show that the microstructure and properties of high carbonic-chromium cast steel are obviously improved after hot deformation,and the best mechanical properties of the cast steel can be obtained under hot deformation ratio of 40 %-50 %,which leads to the morphology change of eutectic carbide and the precipitation of granular carbides.

Study on Heterogeneous Nuclei in Cast H13 Steel Modified by Rare Earth

The dendrite segregation in cast H13 steel was weakened with RE modification treatment. Grain boundary carbide during quenching was also under control and impact toughness was improved greatly. By thermodynamic calculation, analysis of two-dimensional lattice misfitting and electron probe analysis, it is found that Ce2O3 may act as the heterogeneous nuclei of modified cast H13 steel.

Study and Application of Nb-V-Ti Microalloyed Cast Steel

A new type of Nb-V-Ti microalloyed cast steel was produced. Computer simulation was adopted to optimize the content of alloying elements. The microstructure of the microalloyed steel was analyzed. The fatigue property, wear and friction properties and rupture toughness of the steel were investigated. The service and operating properties of Nb-V-Ti microalloyed cast steel coupler were also examined. The results show that the steel has excellent comprehensive mechanical properties. The granular bainite structure and precipitation strengthening are the primary strengthening mechanism. The fine grain brings the steel good plasticity and excellent toughness. Various service and operating properties of Nb-V-Ti microalloyed cast steel automatic coupler are excellent.

Effects of Strain Ratio on Fatigue Behavior of G20Mn5QT Cast Steel

Due to traffic and wave actions, cast steel joints are subjected to variable-amplitude fatigue loading, which may cause fatigue problems. The ratio of the minimum strain to the maximum strain(strain ratio)can be employed to analyze the influence of variable-amplitude fatigue both in the elastic and plastic ranges. To evaluate the effect of the strain ratio on G20Mn5 QT cast steel, the fatigue tests of smooth specimens were carried out at the strain ratio of 0.1. The cyclic deformation and the relationships between the strain amplitude, the stress amplitude, the Smith, Watson and Topper(SWT)parameter and fatigue life were studied and compared with those at the strain ratio of-1. Compared with other methods, Basquin formula and Solonberg formula provide reliable and appropriate ranges of S-N curve and fatigue limit at different strain ratios respectively. The SWT parameter can be used to predict the fatigue life at other strain ratios accurately.

Effect of Rare Earth Composite Modification on Microstructure and Properties of a New Cast Hot-Work Die Steel

The effects of RE modification on structure and the properties of a new cast hot work die (CHD) steel were investigated. The grains of the CHD steel are refined by RE modification. With the increase of RE addition, both grain size and inclusion amount are reduced. Appropriate amount of RE results in decrease in inclusion amount and formation of spheroidal inclusions uniformly-distributed in steel, so that the morphology and distribution of inclusions are improved. RE composite modification favors the formation of bainite, austenite and fine lath martensite with dense dislocation. When the residual RE content reaches 0.02%, no obvious changes in strength and hardness are found, while fracture toughness and threshold of fatigue crack growth are increased. The impact toughness, elongation and reduction of cross sectional area are increased by a factor of two, and thermal fatigue resistance is also improved.

Influence of Re-Ti modification on the high impact wear resistance of high Si bainitic cast steel

The effect of rare earth （Re） and titanium （Ti） multi-modification on the impact wear behavior of Mn-B high-Si bainitic cast steel was investigated systematically. The experiments show that the impact wear resistance can be improved greatly with the addition of Re and Ti. Its wear loss is only about 1/3-1/2 as large as that of the unmodified bainitic cast steel. By the Re/Ti modification, coarse dendrite grains and bainitic/martensite duplex structure have been refined effectively, and the impact toughness of the bainitic cast steel is nearly tripled （10 mm×10 mm×55 mm, with unnotched sample）. Consequently, the modified bainitic cast steel possesses good wear resistance under high im- pact. For both modified and unmodified bainitic cast steels, high hardness white layer and deformed zone are developed beneath the worn surface under the high impact wear, but the formation and propagation of cracks are different for these bainitic casting steels. Different mod- els for the formation and propagation of cracks for both modified and unmodified bainitic cast steels under high impact wear are proposed.

Shear performance analysis of a heavy-duty universal hinged cast steel support

This paper presents the shear performance analysis of a heavy-duty universal hinged cast steel support with the largest bearing capacity. The effect of 9 parameters ( 52 specimens) ,i. e. height of the upper support,depth of the ring of the upper support,depth of the top plate of the bottom support,height of the ribs of the bottom support,depth of the ribs of the bottom support,bolt hole diameter,number of the ribs of the bowl,depth of the ribs of the bowl,and yield strength of the material,were analyzed with a 3-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element model in which the nonlinearities of geometry,material and contact were all considered. Analysis shows that height of the upper support,depth of the ring of the upper support and yield strength of the material have a great effect on the mechanical performance of the support. Height of the upper support has the largest effect on performance price ratio of the support,and the maximum effect can be up to 160% . Depth of the top plate of the bottom support,height of the ribs of the bottom support and depth of the ribs of the bottom support have a medium effect on performance price ratio of the support,and the effect is within the limit of 15% 19% .

Combined Cellular Automaton Model for Dynamic Recrystallization Evolution of 42CrMo Cast Steel

The dynamic recrystallization(DRX) simulation performance largely depends on simulated grain topological struc?tures. However, currently solutions used di erent models for describing two?dimensional(2 D) and three?dimensional(3 D) grain size distributions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a more universal simulation technique. A cellular automaton(CA) model combined with an optimized topology deformation technology is proposed to simulate the microstructural evolution of 42 CrMo cast steel during DRX. In order to obtain values of material constants adopted in the CA model, hot deformation characteristics of 42 CrMo cast steel are investigated by hot compression metal?lographic testing. The proposed CA model deviates in two important aspects from the regular CA model. First, an optimized grain topology deformation technology is utilized for studying the hot compression e ect on the topology of grain deformation. Second, the overlapping grain topological structures are optimized by using an independent component analysis method, and the influence of various thermomechanical parameters on the nucleation process, grain growth kinetics, and mean grain sizes observed during DRX are explored. Experimental study shows that the average relative root mean square error(RRMSE) of the mean grain diameter obtained by the regular CA model is equal to 0.173, while the magnitude calculated using the proposed optimized CA model is only 0.11. This paper pro?poses a novel combined CA model for simulating the microstructural evolution of 42 CrMo cast steel, which notably uses a ICA?based grain topology deformation method to optimize the overlapping grain topological structures in simulation.

INFLUENCE OF RARE EARTH ON INTERGRANULAR CRACKING OF 9% Ni CAST STEEL

The intergranular cracking of 9% Ni cast steel seems mainly to relate to the segregation of contaminates H,S and P along boundaries.An addition of rare earth may eliminate the seg- regation of these contaminates along grain boundaries and improve the binding force among boundaries,so as to reduce remarkably the intergranular cracking.

MORPHOLOGY OF(Mn,Fe)S SINGLE CRYSTAL GROWTH IN CAST STEEL

The step pattern of single crystal growth and the morphology at equilibrium state of(Mn, Fe)S on the wall of micro-voids in ZG25 cast steel have been observed using scanning electron microscope.The face-centred cubic(Mn,Fe)S single crystal at equilibrium state is shown to be tetrakaidecahedron consisted of eight{111}planes and six{100}planes,and is a typical example of the O_h—m3m cubic crystal system.

Isothermal oxidation behavior of Nb-bearing austenitic cast steels at 950℃

The oxidation behaviors of three austenitic cast steels with different morphologies of primary carbides at 950℃ in air were investigated using scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive spectroscopy,and focused ion beam/transmission electron microscopy.Their oxidation kinetics followed a logarithmic law,and the oxidation rate can be significantly decreased as long as a continuous silica layer formed at the scale/substrate interface.When the local Si concentration was inadequate,internal oxidation occurred beneath the oxide scale.The spallation of oxides during cooling can be inhibited with the formation of internal oxidation,owing to the reduced mismatch stress between the oxide scale and the substrate.The“Chinese-script”primary Nb(C,N)was superior to the dispersed primary Nb(C,N)in suppressing the oxidation penetration in the interdendritic region by supplying a high density of quick-diffusion Cr channels.In addition,the innermost and outermost oxidation layers were enriched with Cr,whereas the Cr evaporation in the outermost layer was significant when the water vapor concentration in the environment was high enough.These findings further the understanding regarding the oxidation behavior of austenitic cast steels and will promote the alloy development for exhaust components.

A new preparation technology of structural- gradient materials without a brittle transition zone in a Mn-Si-Cr-B bainitic cast steel

In the present work, a unique gradient cooling heat treatment process(GCHT) for a Mn-Si-Cr-B bainitic cast steel was developed, and microstructure and mechanical properties were examined by OM, SEM, EBSD and a uniaxial tensile test. The results showed that the structural-gradient-material(SGM) with a gradient microstructure from granular bainite to martensite was successfully produced, and it exhibited a good ductility(~13.8%) at one end and an excellent ultimate strength(~1,720 MPa) at the other end. In between the bainite and martensite, a transition region with a superior combination of tensile strength and ductility(1,700 MPa and 11.1%) was obtained, which is different from the normal knowledge of a brittle transition region. Moreover, through changing the gradient of cooling rate, the optimized SGM with a new gradient microstructure from pearlite to martensite showed a more stable structural gradient and an improved ductility(22.8%) at one end. The microstructure variation in the sample was mainly related to the carbon diffusion rate during heat treatment, and the diffusion rate could be controlled by regulating the cooling velocity. Therefore, the SGMs with different gradient microstructures could be designed to meet the needs of different properties. As a result, this work provides a new approach for preparation of the gradient structured steel, which has potential for practical application for dual-property automobile parts.

Modelling the Influence of Air Jet Configurations on Non-Woven Steel Fibre Mixing in the Melt Overflow Process

The mixing of non-woven steel fibres in melt overflow process for use in automotive muffler systems was simulated. The aim was to identify optimum parameters for achieving a good fibre mix. Numerical models of mixing chambers of melt overflow process were developed. Multiphysics analyses involving heat transfer, fluid flow and particle tracking were carried out using COMSOL code. The influence of air jet configurations on the fibre distribution was studied. The fibres settled on the moving bed within the mixing chamber were examined for their uniformity. The effect of additional air jets to the existing chamber in a range of regions was explored. An optimum configuration was identified by analyzing the compactness of the particle clusters deposited in the simulation and validated using pixel data acquired from real time imaging. The results showed that by employing dual air jets at the front end of the chamber, the density of the fibre material has improved. We conclude that through multi-physics modelling, it was possible to identify the optimum air-jet configurations leading to fibre uniformity and its distribution. This work also paves the way for incorporating a vision system to evaluate fibre density in real time.