Numerical simulation of the effect of fluid flow on solute distribution and dendritic morphology

Abstract

The presence of bulk and interdendritic flow during solidification can alter the microstructure, potentially leading to the formation of defects. In this paper, a numerical model is presented for the direct simulation of dendritic growth in the presence of fluid flow in both liquid and mushy zones. The Navier–Stokes equations are solved for multiphase flow using a projection method. The energy conservation and solute diffusion equations are solved via a combined stochastic nucleation approach and finite difference solution to simulate dendritic growth. The predicted microstructures illustrate typical asymmetric dendritic growth behaviour under forced convection, which is consistent with prior similar simulations of a single dendrite during unconstrained growth (both 2D and 3D). The micromodel was coupled with a macromodel to investigate the effects of forced fluid flow on equiaxed dendritic growth and micro-segregation during vacuum arc remelting.