Volume-averaged modeling of multiphase solidification with equiaxed crystal sedimentation in a steel ingot

Macrosegregation is a critical factor that limits the mechanical properties of materials.The impact of equiaxed crystal sedimentation on macrosegregation has been extensively studied,as it plays a significant role in determining the distribution of alloying elements and impurities within a material.To improve macrosegregation in steel connecting shafts,a multiphase solidification model that couples melt flow,heat transfer,microstructure evolution,and solute transport was established based on the volume-averaged Eulerian-Eulerian approach.In this model,the effects of liquid phase,equiaxed crystals,columnar dendrites,and columnar-to-equiaxed transition(CET)during solidification and evolution of microstructure can be considered simultaneously.The sedimentation of equiaxed crystals contributes to negative macrosegregation,where regions between columnar dendrites and equiaxed crystals undergo significant A-type positive macrosegregation due to the CET.Additionally,noticeable positive macrosegregation occurs in the area of final solidification in the ingot.The improvement in macrosegregation is beneficial for enhancing the mechanical properties of connecting shafts.To mitigate the thermal convection of molten steel resulting from excessive superheating,reducing the superheating during casting without employing external fields or altering the design of the ingot mold is indeed an effective approach to control macrosegregation.

Direct-chill semi-continuous casting process of three-layer composite ingot of 4045/3004/4045 aluminum alloys

Three-layer composite ingot of 4045/3004/4045 aluminum alloys was prepared by direct-chill semi-continuous casting process,the temperature field distribution near the composite interface,macro-morphology,microstructure and composition distribution of the composite interface were investigated.The results show that semi-solid layer with a certain thickness forms near the interface due to the effect of cooling plate,which ensures successful implementation of casting the composite ingot.Two different aluminum alloys are well bonded metallurgically.The mechanical properties of composite interface were measured,the tensile and shearing strengths of composite interface are 105 and 88 MPa,respectively,which proves that the composite interface is a kind of metallurgical bonding.

Microstructure evolution of 3003/4004 clad ingots under diverse physical fields

In order to improve the quality of clad ingots, diverse physical fields including electromagnetic stirring, power ultrasonic and compound field of ultrasonic and electromagnetic stirring were attempted to prepare clad ingots of 3003/4004 alloys. The solidification structures near the interface in clad ingots were investigated. The experiment results indicate that the solidification structure of 4004 alloy changes from dendritic crystals to petal-like grains when the clad ingot is treated by electromagnetic stirring. With the effect of power ultrasonic, the solidified microstructure of 4004 alloy exhibits the refinement of both primary a（A1） and eutectic silicon. Under the compound field, the primary a（A1） is refined, the morphology of eutectic silicon has a transition from a coarse plate-like form without treatment or thin acicular-like form with power ultrasonic to fine coral-like form.

Teeming stream protection using an argon shroud during casting of steel ingots

Two kinds of argon shroud protection devices with two different basic structures were designed and investigated. Industrial experiments and numerical simulations were used to examine the protection effect, and the mechanism of air entrapment during the casting of steel ingots was analyzed. The influence of the structure of the argon shroud protection device on the protection effect was investigated. An argon shroud protection device mounted to the nozzle holder on the bottom of the ladle does not provide a good protection effect because air can easily flow into the teeming system and cause reoxidation of molten steel during teeming. By contrast, an argon shroud protection device seated on the top of the central trumpet provides an excellent protection effect, where air has little chance of flowing into the teeming system during casting. The feasibilities of the argon shroud protection devices are discussed.

Research and application of numerical simulation to optimization of ingot casting process

During the ingot casting process, the parametric changes of the molten steel pouring process often cause both ingot surface and internal quality defects. With the increasingly wide application of computers in industrial technology ,numerical simulations of the molten steel pouring process enable predictions of the defects that will arise during the pouring and solidification process, especially for the molten steel flow during the early stages of casting. In addition,using a computer to simulate the casting process of a 40 t ingot and solidification can prevent many defects. The simulation results indicate that controlling the pouring speed to less than 80 kg/s, hanging the casting powder in a mold with the hanging height maintained at 100-150 mm, and controlling the taper angle of the mold brick outlet to a suitable level can reduce the probability of slag entrapment and improve the internal and surface quality of the ingot.

Numerical simulation of macrosegregation in steel ingots using a two-phase model

A two-phase model for the prediction of macrosegregation formed during solidification is presented. This model incorporates the descriptions of heat transfer, melt convection, solute transport, and solid movement on the system scale with microscopic relations for grain nucleation and growth. Then the model is used to simulate the solidification of a benchmark industrial 3.3-t steel ingot. Simulations are per- formed to investigate the effects of grain motion and pipe shrinkage formation on the final macrosegregation pattern. The model predictions are compared with experimental data and numerical results from literatures. It is demonstrated that the model is able to express the overall macrosegregation patterns in the ingot. Furthermore, the results show that it is essential to consider the motion of equiaxed grains and the formation of pipe shrinkage in modelling. Several issues for future model improvements are identified.

Improvement of tundish shape and optimization of flow control devices for sequence casting heavy steel ingots

The metallurgical effect of a round tundish used to cast heavy steel ingots in machine works at present was evaluated through water modeling experiments. The flow control devices of the improved oval tundish, which was used instead of the round tundish, had been optimized. The results show that the residence time of the round tundish is short, its inclusion removal efficiency is too low, and it has more dead zones and an unreasonable flow field. Compared with the round tundish, the improved oval tundish with the optimized weir and dam has a better effect： its minimum residence time is prolonged by 38.1 s, the average residence time is prolonged by 233.4 s, its dead volume fraction decreases from 26% to 15%, and the ratio of plug volume fraction to dead volume fraction increases from 0.54 to 1.27. The inclusion removal efficiency also increases by 17.5%.

Effects of hot top pulsed magneto-oscillation on solidification structure of steel ingot

Achieving a uniform structure with few defects in heavy steel ingot is of high commercial importance. In this present work, in order to verify the potential of pulsed magneto-oscillation(PMO) applied in the production of heavy ingot, an induction coil was located at the hot top of the steel ingot to develop a novel technique, named hot top pulsed magneto oscillation(HPMO). The influences of HPMO on the solidification structure, macro segregation and compactness of a cylindrical medium carbon steel ingot with the weight of 160 kg were systematically investigated by optical microscope(OM) and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy original position metal analyzer(LIBSOPA-100). The results show that HPMO not only causes significant grain refinement and promotes the occurrence of columnar to equiaxed transition(CET) but also can homogenize the carbon distribution and enhance the compactness of the steel ingot. Therefore, HPMO technique has the potential to be applied in the production of heavy steel ingots on an industrial scale.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a large-sized ingot of Mg–9Gd–3Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt%) alloy after a lower-temperature homogenization treatment

In this paper,a large-sized ingot of Mg–9Gd–3Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt%) alloy with a diameter of 600 mm was successfully prepared by the semi-continuous casting method.The alloy was subsequently annealed at a relatively low temperature of 430°C for 12 h as a homogenization treatment.The microstructure and room-temperature mechanical properties of the alloy were investigated systematically.The results show that the as-cast alloy contained a mass of discontinuous lamellar-shaped 18 R long-period stacking ordered(LPSO) phases with a composition of Mg10 Zn Y and an α-Mg matrix,along with net-shaped Mg5(Y,Gd) eutectic compounds at the grain boundaries.Most of the eutectic compounds dissolved after the homogenization treatment.Moreover,the amount and dimensions of the lamellar-shaped LPSO phase obviously increased after the homogenization treatment.The structure of the phase transformed into 14H-type LPSO with composition Mg12Zn(Y,Gd).The mechanical properties of the heat-treated large-sized alloy ingot are uniform.The ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and tensile yield strength(TYS) of the alloy reached 207.2 MPa and 134.8 MPa,respectively,and the elongation was 3.4%.The high performances of the large-sized alloy ingot after the homogenization treatment is attributed to the strengthening of the α-Mg solid solution and to the plentiful LPSO phase distributed over the α-Mg matrix.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TEMPERATURE FIELDS IN ELECTROSLAG REMELTING SLAB INGOTS

The method based on transient heat transfer model is adopted to simulate electro-slag remelting process. The calculated results of the model show that the process is in the quasi-steady state, and the shape of pool remains unchanged when the height of ingot is approximately 2.5-3 times the thickness of slab ingot. The change in the shape of pool is found to be strongly dependent on the pattern of melting rate, and hence, the power input; the depth of the molten pool increases with the increase in melting speed. It is concluded that a transient heat transfer model has to be used to obtain reliable input information for the entire, operatina time.

Cracking mechanism in as-cast GH4151 superalloy ingot with high γ'phase content

The fundamental mechanism of the cracking formation was investigated for the as-cast GH4151 superalloy.By analyzing the characteristics of cracking,the cracking mechanism was determined to be the cold crack formed during the cooling process.And cold cracking is closely related to severe segregation,complex precipitates and uneven γ'phase distribution.During cooling process,cracks were generated around the precipitates due to their different linear shrinkage coefficients.The annealing treatment process controlling the residual stress,the size and morphology of γ'phase was proposed.The annealing treatment plays a role in reducing residual stress through decreasing the thermal gradient and controlling the size distribution of γ'phase to reduce the strain concentration around the precipitate phases.

Numerical simulation of temperature distribution and heat transfer during solidification of titanium alloy ingots in vacuum arc remelting process

In order to get a better understanding of the vacuum consumable arc remelting(VAR) processes and thus to optimize them,a 3D finite element model was developed for the temperature fields and heat transfer of titanium alloy ingots during VAR process.The results show that the temperature fields obtained by the simulation are well validated through the experiment results.The temperature distribution is different during the whole VAR process and the steady-state molten pool forms at 329 s for d100 mm × 180 mm ingots.At the initial stage of remelting,the heat dissipation of crucible bottom plays an important role in the whole heat dissipation system.At the middle of remelting,the crucible wall becomes a major heat dissipation way.The effect of cooling velocity on the solidification structure of ingots was investigated based on the temperature fields and the results can well explain the macrostructure of titanium alloy ingots.

Simulation of macrosegregation in a 36-t steel ingot using a multiphase model

Macrosegregation is the major defect in large steel ingots caused by solute partitioning and melt convection during casting.In this study,a three-phase(liquid,columnar dendrites,and equiaxed grains)model is proposed to simulate macrosegregation in a 36-t steel ingot.A supplementary set of conservation equations are employed in the model such that two types of equiaxed grains,either settling or adhering to the solid shell,are well simulated.The predicted concentration agrees quantitatively with the experimental value.A negative segregation cone was located at the bottom owing to the grain settlement and solute-enriched melt leaving from the mushy zone.The interdendritic liquid flow was carefully analyzed,and the formation of A-type segregations in the mid-height of the ingot is discussed.Negative segregation was observed near the riser neck due to the specific relationship between flow direction and temperature gradient.Additionally,the as-cast macrostructure of the ingot is presented,including the grain size distribution and columnar–equiaxed transition.

Numerical simulation of central shrinkage crack formation in a 234-t steel ingot

Central shrinkage crack is a common defect encountered in steel ingot casting. It is necessary to limit the degree of crack in case of further propagation in forging. A 234-t steel ingot was dissected to check the internal quality, and a central shrinkage crack band of 1,400 mm in height and 120 mm in width, was found at a distance of 450 mm under the riser bottom line. Then, thermo-mechanical simulation using an elasto-viscoplastic finite-element model was conducted to analyze the stress-strain evolution during ingot solidification. A new criterion considering mush mechanical property in the brittle temperature range as well as shrinkage porosity was used to identify the shrinkage crack potential, where the degree of shrinkage porosity is regarded as a probability factor using a modified sigmoid function. Different casting processes, such as pouring speed, mould preheating and riser insulation, were optimized with the simulation model. The results show that fast pouring, proper mould preheating and good riser insulation can alleviate shrinkage crack potential in the ingot center.

Simulation of electro-slag re-melting process of 120t large ingot for nuclear power station and its application

Further research on metallic materials for the super critical rotator and the main pipe line of a nuclear power station is very important for developing the nuclear power industry. In this study, the mathematical model for 120 t large ingot was established, and the computer program ESR3D was developed to simulate the whole electro-slag re-melting (ESR) process. This includes the electrode melting, metallic droplet falling, metal pool forming, metal pool and slag pool rising and moving, installation of top crystallizer, ingot solidifying, etc. The simulated average melting rate of the electrode was in good agreement with that in practical production. The optimized parameters were used to produce 80-120 t large ingots, and the quality of the ingots satisfied the specifications of nuclear power and the super critical generating unit.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF MACRO-SEGREGATION IN STEEL INGOT DURING SOLIDIFICATION

A mathematical model coupling the momentum, energy and species conservation equa-tions was proposed to calculate the macro--segregation of Fe--C alloy ingot during solid-ification. The corresponding simulation software which concurrently solves the macro-scopic mass, momentum, energy and species conservation equations has been developedby applying the SIMPLE algorithm.The thermo--solutal convection in a NH_4 Cl--H_2O ingot is verified and the result showsgood agreement with that reported. Then macro--segregation in a steel ingot is simu-lated by using the developed program. The steel ingot is in a rectangular mold with ariser. The fluid flow is mainly induced by the temperature field and the solid fraction.The macro--segregation pattern is mainly affected by the thermo--induced convectionin the mushy zone. The negative segregation forms along the walls of the casting.The positive segregation forms at the top center of the casting into the riser. Thespecies concentration reaches the peak in the center of the ingot where solidificationends lastly.

Numerical simulation on multiple pouring process for a 292 t steel ingot

A ladle-tundish-mould transportation model considering the entire multiple pouring(MP) process is proposed. Numerical simulation is carried out to study the carbon distribution and variation in both the tundish and the mould for making a 292 t steel ingot. Firstly, the fluid flow as well as the heat and mass transfer of the molten steel in the tundish is simulated based on the multiphase transient turbulence model. Then, the carbon mixing in the mould is calculated by using the species concentration at the tundish outlet as the inlet condition during the teeming process. The results show a high concentration of carbon at the bottom and a low concentration of carbon at the top of the mould after a MP process with carbon content high in the first ladle and low in the last ladle. Such carbon concentration distribution would help reduce the negative segregation at the bottom and the positive segregation at the top of the solidified ingot.

Analysis of internal crack in a six-ton P91 ingot

P91 is a new kind of heat-resistant and high-tensile steel. It can be extruded after ingot casting and can be widely used for different pipes in power plants. However, due to its mushy freezing characteristics, a lack of feeding in the ingot center often generates many defects, such as porosity and crack. A six-ton P91 ingot was cast and sliced, and a representative part of the longitudinal section was inspected in more detail. The morphology of crack-like defects was examined by X-ray high energy industrial CT and reconstructed by 3D software. There are f ive main portions of defects larger than 200 mm^3, four of which are interconnected. These initiated from continuous liquid f ilm, and then were torn apart by excessive tensile stress within the brittle temperature range(BTR). The 3D FEM analysis of thermo-mechanical simulation was carried out to analyze the formation of porosity and internal crack defects. The results of shrinkage porosity and Niyama values revealed that the center of the ingot suffers from inadequate feeding. Several criteria based on thermal and mechanical models were used to evaluate the susceptibility of hot crack formation. The Clyne and Davies' criterion and Katgerman's criterion successfully predicted the high hot crack susceptibility in the ingot center. Six typical locations in the longitudinal section had been chosen for analysis of the stresses and strains evolution during the BTR. Locations in the defects region showed the highest tensile stresses and relative high strain values, while other locations showed either low tensile stresses or low strain values. In conclusion, hot crack develops only when stress and strain exceed a threshold value at the same time during the BTR.

Electro-Pulse on Improving Steel Ingot Solidification Structure

Pulse Electric Discharging (PED) is a novel technique that can modify solidifying structure and reduce grain size. ItS effectsapplied to the high carbon liquid steel were presented here. The macrostructure and microstructure of the high carbon alloy steel werealso observed. Results show that (1 ) the length of columnar crystal at the edge of ingot without PED treatment is much longer than thatwith PED, and (2) the perlite lamellae of steel billets after deposed by PED are twisted and shortened. An explanation of those experimental results is given.

Formation mechanism of shrinkage and large inclusions of a 70t 12Cr2Mo1 heavy steel ingot

Shrinkage cavities and large inclusions are serious internal defects of heavy steel ingot and influence the quality of subsequent forgings. In order to remove these two types of defects, a 70 t 12Cr2Mo1 heavy ingot fabricated by vacuum carbon de-oxidation process was sectioned and investigated by means of structure observation and EDS analysis. To further study the forming mechanism of shrinkage and inclusion defects and find possible solutions, simulation on pouring and solidification processes was also carried out using Fluent and ProCAST software, respectively. Results show that the shrinkage defects do not appear in the middle-upper part of the ingot. The critical value of shrinkage cavity criterion is ascertained as 0.013 on the basis of sectioning investigation and simulation results, which can be used in computer simulation to predict and avoid shrinkage defects in production of 12Cr2Mo1 ingots with different weights. However, large inclusions are found at the bottom of the ingot body. The bad thermal conditions of the ingot surface and large amount of entrained slag are the main origin of the large inclusions. The simulation result of the pouring process shows that large inclusions may be eliminated by combined measures of improving the top thermal condition and controlling the height of rudimental molten steel in the ladle to above 300 mm.