Effect of ultrasonic power and casting speed on solidification structure of 7050 aluminum alloy ingot in ultrasonic field

With the experiment and finite element simulation, the influences of power ultrasonic on the solidification structure of 7050 aluminum alloy ingot in semi-continuous casting were researched, and the effects of casting speed on solidification structure in ultrasonic field were also analyzed. The experiment and simulation results show that the solidification structure of the ingot is homogeneously distributed, and its grain size is obviously refined at ultrasonic power of 240 W. The average grain sizes, which can be seen from the Leica microscope, are less than 100 μm. When the casting speed is 45-50 mm/min, the best grain refinement is obtained.

Effect of casting speed on floating grains and macrosegregation ofdirect-chill cast 2024 alloy with intensive melt shearing

The ingot was prepared by direct-chill(DC)casting technology with different casting speeds under the influence of intensive melt shearing to explore the effect of casting speed and intensive melt shearing on the floating grains and negative centerline segregation.The results indicate that the application of intensive melt shearing in DC casting process can distribute the floating grains uniformly,reduce the area fraction of the floating grains,alleviate the negative centerline segregation,and improve the uniformity of temperature field in the sump.It is also suggested that under the influence of intensive melt shearing,the casting speed plays a crucial role in the amounts and distribution of floating grains.At low casting speed,the intensive melt shearing can significantly reduce the area fraction of the floating grains and distribute them uniformly throughout the ingot.However,this effect gradually disappears with the increase of casting speed.

Effects of casting speed on microstructure and segregation of electromagnetically stirred Aluminum alloy in continuous casting process

Recently, a semi-solid metal processing has been acknowledged as a cost-effective technique to be able to manufacture high quality product for the transportation industry. In this study a hypo-eutectic Al alloy was fabricated by means of an electromagnetic stirrer in continuous casting process and the microstructural change during solidification due to a fluid flow by electromagnetic stirring was examined. Due to the forced fluid flow during solidification a dendritic phase of primary α phase of Al alloy was turned into a globular phase, which can make the Al alloy get a thixotropic behavior in the semi-solid region. In order to establish the quantitative relationship between microstructure and the process parameters, the morphology shape, a silicon distribution and a size of primary α phase were observed according to casting speed in continuous casting machine. The primary α phase was turned into the degenerate dendrites approaching a spherical configuration with increasing casting speed. The fine-grained and equiaxed microstructure appeared at higher casting speed. A segregation behavior of Si element was declined with increasing casting speed and a very uniform distribution of Si element was observed on the billet at a casting speed of 600 mm·min-1. A thickness of the solidifying shell of the billet was shortened with increasing the casting speed.

Thermal and mechanical behavior of casting copper alloy wheel during wheel and belt continuous casting process

To investigate the thermal and mechanical behavior of casting wheel,a two-dimensional thermoelastic-plastic finite element model was used to predict the temperature,stress and distortion distribution of the casting wheel during the wheel and belt continuous casting process.The effects of grinding thickness and casting speed on the thermal and mechanical behaviors of the center of the hot face of the casting wheel were discussed in detail.In each rotation,the casting wheel passes through four different spray zones.The results show that the temperature distribution of the casting wheel in different spray zones is similar,the temperature of the hot face is the highest and the temperature reaches the peak in the spray zoneⅢ.The stress and distortion depend on the temperature distribution,and the maximum stress and distortion of the hot face are 358.2 MPa and 1.82 mm,respectively.The temperature at the center of the hot face decreases with increasing grinding thickness and increases with increasing casting speed.

Numerical Analysis of Electromagnetic Field and Flow Field in High Casting Speed Slab Continuous Casting Mold With Traveling Magnetic Field

In a continuous casting process, it is essential to prevent the surface defects which are caused by the mold powder entrapments. It is well known that the decrease in the molten steel flow velocity just under the free surface is one of the most effective methods for the prevention of mold powder entrapments. For this purpose, the electro-magnetic level stabilizer （EMLS） has been developed, which is applied to a low frequency alternating magnetic field moving from the narrow face of the mold to the mold center below the nozzle exits. In this study, the effect of the EMLS on the molten steel flow is investigated. Numerical simulation of the electromagnetic field and the molten steel flow in a mold were carried out. Simulation results indicate that, due to the electromagnetic force, the molten steel is forced to flow toward the magnetic field traveling direction in the region where the magnetic field is imposed. The molten steel flow is decelerated in proportion to the imposed electromagnetic force. Consequently, the molten steel flows toward the mold center near the free surface with a smaller imposed electromagnetic force, and it flows toward the nozzle at the nozzle side and toward the narrow face at the narrow face side with a larger imposed electromagnetic force. However, the magnitude of the electromagnetic force is decided by the current intensity and frequency, a suitable imposed electric current can be chosen to minimize the flow velocity and also the amount of mold powder entrapments.

Numerical Simulation of Influence of Casting Speed Variation on Surface Fluctuation of Molten Steel in Mold

The influences of casting speed variation on surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold during continuous casting were investigated with numerical simulation method.It was found that when the casting speed was evenly decreased from 1.4 m·min-1 to 0.6 m·min-1,the increase of the surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold was observed only on time that was at the start of casting speed change.While,in experiment of increasing casting speed evenly from 0.6 m·min-1 to 1.4 m·min-1,the increase of the surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold was observed only at the time when the casting speed was stopped to increase after it had been increased to 1.4 m·min-1.For surface fluctuation of the molten steel in mold which was produced during the casting speed evenly increasing or decreasing period and at the time when increasing or decreasing the casting speed at low casting speed level（0.6 m·min-1）,the influence of casting speed change is very small.In addition,it is found that,at high casting speed level（1.4 m·min-1）,even a little change of casting speed could result in remarkable increase of the surface fluctuation.Thus,at high casting speed,changing casting speed should be avoided or much slower speed changing rate should be used.

Effect of casting speed on surface quality of horizontal direct chill casting 7075 aluminum alloy ingot

7075 aluminum alloy ingot with the diameter izontal direct chill casting in different casting of 100 mm has been produced by horspeed. The effect of the casting speed on the ingot surface and subsurface layer was studied by surface observation and subsurface structure analysis. It was found that increasing the casting speed results in the adding of segregation knots in the ingot surface. The thickness of the dendrite microstrueture layer in the subsurface reduces with increasing the casting speed. And the elements of Zn, Cu and Mg enrich in the coarse dendrite microstructure layer of the ingot.

Optimization of submerged entry nozzle parameters for ultra-high casting speed continuous casting mold of billet

Controlling the flow behavior in the mold in an appropriate way is the basis for realizing the billet ultra-high speed continuous casting.Based on the new proposed physical water modeling experiment considering the effects of solidified shell and hydrostatic pressure,the flow behavior in the mold with cross section of 160 mm 9160 mm during continuous casting of billet is regulated by optimizing the inner diameters and immersion depths of submerged entry nozzle at the ultra-high casting speeds of 5.0–6.5 m/min.The results show that under the premise of no slag entrainment,as well as uniform coverage and keeping good fluidity of liquid slag layer on the top free surface of the fluid in the mold,the appropriate parameters of submerged entry nozzle under the ultra-high casting speed of billet are 50 mm in inner diameter,95 mm in outer diameter and 180 mm in immersion depth.And on the basis of the obtained parameters of submerged entry nozzle,it can be known that the reasonable ranges of level fluctuation and impacting depth of the stream in the mold are about 0.82-1.11 and 593-617 mm,respectively.

Effect of casting speed on dendrite arm spacing of Mn13 steel continuous casting slab

The dendrite arm spacing in the continuous casting slab of Mn13 steel under different casting speeds was measured using the metallographic microscope. Meanwhile, a heat transfer model was established by the Pro-cast software. The relationship between the dendrite arm spacing and casting speed in continuous casting slab of Mn13 steel was studied and described by a function expression. The results provide an important theoretical basis for the development and optimization of con-tinuous casting production process of high-manganese steel and help to improve the quality of continuous casting slab of high-manganese steel. Under the experimental conditions, the suitable casting speed is about 0.9 m/min. The secondary dendrite spacing maintains a relatively stable low-amplitude increase trend, and it is beneficial to obtain a higher proportion of equiaxed crystals.

Effect of slab width on choice of appropriate casting speed in steel production

In steel continuous casting(CC),the choice of the appropriate speed at which the slab is cast can be influenced by many different factors and phenomena.While the slab thickness seems to have the biggest impact,other features like the slab width have been consistently overlooked.In fact,the slab width practically limits the casting speed via the mass flow constraint which governs the input and output balance at the tundish.Here,we present a case study that aims at analyzing steel production data from the perspective of casting speed constraints.By studying the speed fluctuations of an industrial CC machine,we identify a strategic regime change toward a stricter consideration of the mass flow constraint.The regime change manifests itself in a significant increase in the correlation between the actual casting speed and the maximal speed associated with the mass flow constraint.On the surface,taking greater account of the input and output balance at the tundish has reduced the productivity of the continuous caster;however,one can argue that the lessened yield is compensated by a diminished risk of eventual slab breaking.From the perspective of this trade-off,we establish a visualization technique that enables us to pinpoint the boundary beyond which one strategic regime becomes economically more advantageous than the other.

Microstructures in Centrifugal Casting of SiC_p/AlSi9Mg Composites with Different Mould Rotation Speeds

Two ingots were produced by centrifugal casting at mould rotational speeds of 600 rpm and 800 rpm using 20 vol%SiC p /AlSi9Mg composite melt,respectively.The microstructure along the radial direction of cross-sectional sample of ingots was presented.SiC particles migrated towards the external circumference of the tube,and the distribution of SiC particles became uniform under centrifugal force.Voids in 20 vol%SiC p /AlSi9Mg composite melt migrated towards the inner circumference of the tube.The quantitative analysis results indicated that not only SiC particles but also primaryαphases segregated greatly in centrifugal casting resulting from the transportation behavior of constitutions with different densities in the SiC p /AlSi9Mg composite melt.In addition,the eutectic Si was broken owing to the motion of SiC p /AlSi9Mg composite melt during centrifugal casting.

Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer and Micro-Segregation in Twin-roll Strip Casting of Stainless Steel

In twin-roll strip casting process, metal flow and temperature distribution in the molten pool directly affect the stability of the process and the quality of products. In this paper, a 3D coupled thermal-flow fenite element modeling （FEM） simulation for twin-roll strip casting of stainless steel was performed. Influences of the pouring temperature and casting speed on the temperature fields were obtained from the numerical simulation. The micro-segregation of the solutes during the strip casting process of stainless steel was also simulated. A developed micro-segregation model was used to calculate the micro-segregation of solutes in twin-roll casting of stainless steel. The relationship between the solidus fraction in solidification and temperature was given, which was used to determine the LIT （liquid impermeable temperature）, ZST （zero strength temperature） and ZDT （zero ductility temperature） in the period of non-equilibrium solidification. The effect of temperature on the micro-segregation was discussed. According to the computational results, the solidification completion temperature in the twin-roll strip casting of stainless steel was then determined, which can provide a basis for controlling the location of solidification completion temperature and analysing the crack of the casting strip.

Rapid air film continuous casting of aluminum alloy using static magnetic field

The influences of the cooling style and static magnetic field on the air film casting process were investigated. Ingots of 6063 aluminum alloy were produced by AIRSOL VEIL casting with double-layer cooling water and static magnetic field. Surface segregation, hot crack and variation of solute content along the radius direction of ingot were examined. The results showed that double-layer cooling water can improve the surface quality and avoid of hot crack, which created conditions to increase the casting speed. The electromagnetic casting process can effectively improve the surface quality in high speed casting process, and static magnetic field has a great influence on solute distribution along the radius direction of ingot.

Process optimization of billet continuous caster and practice verification

This study analyzes the factors of influence on 0~# continuous caster in No.1 Steelmaking Plant of Xinjiang Bayi Iron & Steel Corporation(hereinafter referred to as Basteel).Diameter of tundish upper nozzle is small,and the molten steel leakage accidents have been greatly manifolded in the high casting speed.In order to increase yield of 0~# continuouse caster in No.1 Steelmaking Plant of Xinjiang Bayi Iron & Steel Corporation,and a series of amelioration measure was put forward.Through enlarging diameter of tundish upper nozzle(fromφ21 mm toφ21.5 mm ),after the water distribution of the secondary cooling was optimized.Based on stabilizing the quality,improving the average casting speed and work rate of the caster,the capacity of the billet continuous caster was improved.A better results was gained;the average casting speed had been increased from 3.04 m/min to 3.21 m/min.Production of the caster had been improved from 1 005 179.926 t in 2008 to 1 040 853.075 t in 2009.Quality of the concasting billets and production had also been stabilized.

Determination of Interfacial Heat Transfer Behavior at the Metal/Shot Sleeve of High Pressure Die Casting Process of AZ91D Alloy

The interfacial heat transfer behavior at the metalJshot sleeve interface in the high pressure die casting （HPDC） process of AZ91D alloy is carefully investigated. Based on the temperature measurements along the shot sleeve, inverse method has been developed to determine the interfacial heat transfer coefficient in the shot sleeve. Under static condition, Interracial heat transfer coefficient （IHTC） peak values are 11.9, 7,3, 8.33kWm-2K-1 at pouring zone （S2）, middle zone （S5）, and end zone （510）, respectively. During the casting process, the IHTC curve displays a second peak of 6.1 kWm-2 K-1 at middle zone during the casting process at a slow speed of 0.3 ms 1 Subsequently, when the high speed started, the IHTC curve reached a second peal〈 of 12.9 kW m-2K-1 at end zone. Furthermore, under different slow casting speeds, both the calculated initial temperature （TIDs） and the maximum temperature （Tsimax） of shot sleeve surface first decrease from 0.1 ms-1 to 0.3 ms-1, but increase again from 0.3 ms-1 to 0.6 ms-1. This result agrees with the experimental results obtained in a series of ＂plate-shape＂ casting experiments under different slow speeds, which reveals that the amount of ESCs decreases to the minimum values at 0.3 m s-1 and increase again with the increasing casting slow speed.

Numerical simulation on solidification behavior and structure of 38CrMoAl large round bloom using CAFE model

A coupled cellular automaton-finite element model was developed to simulate the solidification behavior and structure of 38CrMoAl large round bloom,in which mold electromagnetic stirring+final electromagnetic stirring was taken into consideration,under different superheat,casting speeds,and secondary cooling water flow.Industrial trials for infrared temperature measurement and macro etch experiments of the post-test round bloom samples were used to verify the simulated solidification structure and temperature field.The simulation results show that superheat and secondary cooling water flow have little influence on the surface temperature,center temperature,and center solid fraction while casting speed has a more obvious influence on solidification behavior.With the increase in the casting speed of 0.02 m min^(-1),the solidification position is prolonged by about 1.64 m.With the increasing specific water ratio by 0.02 L kg^(-1) each,the surface temperature of the secondary cooling zones decreases by about 18℃,and the solidification position shortens by about 0.11 m.As the superheat increases from 10 to 40℃,the ratio of the equiaxed crystal zone decreases from 35.98% to 23.98%.The casting speed and secondary cooling water flow increase the equiaxed crystal ratios of the large round bloom,but neither is significant,both being about 2%.