Prediction of mushy zone permeability of Al-4.5wt%Cu alloy during solidification by phase field model and CFD simulation

Liquid permeability of the mushy zone is important for porosity formation during the solidification process. In order to investigate the permeability of the mushy zone, an integrated model was developed by combining the phase field model and computational fluid dynamics(CFD) model. The three-dimensional multigrain dendrite morphology was obtained by using the phase field model. Subsequently, the computer-aided design(CAD) geometry and mesh were generated based on calculated dendrite morphologies. Finally, the permeability of the dendritic mushy zone was obtained by solving the Navier-Stokes and continuity equations in ANSYS Fluent software. As an example, the dendritic mushy zone permeability of Al-4.5 wt%Cu alloy and its relationship with the solid fractions were studied in detail. The predicted permeability data can be input to the solidification model on a greater length scale for macro segregation and porosity simulations.     

The impact of turbulent flow on the solidification of metal alloys driven by a rotating magnetic field

Abstract

The formation of Taylor-Görtler vortices inside a melt, driven by a rotating magnetic field, is an intrinsic phenomenon occurring at supercritical Taylor numbers. In this work we numerically study their impact on the macrosegregation and the shape of the mushy zone during unidirectional solidification of Al–7wt-%Si alloy. The weakly turbulent flow was modelled by means of direct numerical simulations in an axisymmetric approach, where the transient heat and mass transfer were simulated by means of a standard mixture model. Both types of solidification, columnar and equiaxed, were considered by the application of both a permeability and a hybrid model to treat the fluid flow in the mushy zone. Our results demonstrate that in the case of columnar solidification the Taylor-Görtler vortices cause both a wavy shape of the mushy zone and segregations in the form of a fir tree with a distinct accumulation of silicon along the axis of the cylinder.     

Microstructure refinement of AZ91D alloy solidified with pulsed magnetic field

The effects of pulsed magnetic field on the solidified microstructure of an AZ91D magnesium alloy were investigated. The experimental results show that the remarkable microstructural refinement is achieved when the pulsed magnetic field is applied in the solidification of AZ91D alloy. The average grain size of the as-cast microstructure of AZ91D alloy is refined to 104 μm. Besides the grain refinement, the morphology of the primary α-Mg is changed from dendritic to rosette, then to globular shape with changing the parameters of the pulsed magnetic field. The pulsed magnetic field causes melt convection during solidification, which makes the temperature of the whole melt homogenized, and produces an undercooling zone in front of the liquid/solid interface by the magnetic pressure, which makes the nucleation rate increased and big dendrites prohibited. In addition, primary α-Mg dendrites break into fine crystals, resulting in a refined solidification structure of the AZ91D alloy. The Joule heat effect induced in the melt also strengthens the grain refinement effect and spheroidization of dendrite arms.     

Effect of Gravity on Directionally Solidified Structure of SuperalloysEI北大核心CSCD

分别利用常规下抽拉法与新型上提拉法进行不同方向的高温合金定向凝固实验,对比研究重力对单晶铸件凝固组织的影响。结果表明,在常规下抽拉法实验的向上凝固过程中,容易出现雀斑、γ/γ’共晶上聚和籽晶回熔紊乱等问题。原因是糊状区内液体由于元素偏析引起密度减小,在重力作用下形成了上重下轻的失稳状态并引起对流。而通过新型上提拉法实现的顺重力凝固过程中,密度减小的液体处于糊状区上端,形成上轻下重的稳定状态,使重力的作用由失稳因素转化为维持稳定的因素,抑制了液体对流的产生与发展。采用新型上提拉法制备的单晶铸件中彻底消除了雀斑缺陷,抑制了γ/γ’共晶组织的向上聚集,也保证了低密度籽晶稳定的回熔和外延生长。顺重力定向凝固技术从根本上消除了重力对高温合金定向凝固的不良影响,有希望发展成为新一代的先进单晶叶片成型技术。     

Grain Refinement During Directionally Solidifying GCr18Mo Steel at Low Pulling Speeds Under an Axial Static Magnetic Field

The present work investigates how axial static magnetic field affects the solidification structure and the solute distribution in directionally solidified GCr18Mo steel. Experimental results show that grain refinement and the columnar to equiaxed transition is enhanced with the increases in the magnetic field intensity(B) and temperature gradient(G) and the decrease in the growth speed. This phenomenon is simultaneously accompanied by more uniformly distributed alloying elements.The corresponding numerical simulations verify a thermoelectric(TE) magnetic convection pattern in the mushy zone due to the interaction between the magnetic field and TE current. The TE magnetic convection in the liquid should be responsible for the motion of dendrite fragments. The TE magnetic force acting on the dendrite is one of the driving forces trigging fragmentation.     

电磁离心凝固过程中宏观偏析的数值模拟

基于连续模型建立了非惯性坐标系下电磁离心凝固过程流动、传热、传质耦合数学模型．依此模型对Al-5％Cu合金进行了模拟计算．结果表明，电磁离心凝固过程中，电磁力使熔体的平均径向运动速度下降．熔体流动状态的改变使凝固合金外层的逆偏析减轻，凝固过程中两相区的负偏析也减轻．与普通离心铸造相比，电磁离心凝固可减轻铸件宏观偏析．模拟结果与实测铸件成分分布基本吻合，表明本数学模型较好地描述了电磁离心凝固过程．     

强迫对流影响合金凝固过程枝晶生长的数值模拟

利用耦合溶质场与流场的相场模型,对Al-2.5Cu合金等温凝固时枝晶生长过程进行了模拟.研究了强迫对流、扰动强度及各向异性强度对枝晶生长形貌的影响.结果表明,在流场作用下,枝晶呈非对称性生长,上游的生长速度大于下游;对流影响溶质场的分布,将溶质从上游冲刷到下游,使得上游液相中的浓度低于下游;扰动强度越大,诱发的侧向分枝越多,二次枝晶越发达;各向异性强度越大,枝晶尖端的生长速度越快,曲率半径越小.     

静磁场下热电磁效应及其对凝固组织的影响

由于塞贝克效应,当施加一个温度梯度时,在凝固界面将会产生一个热电流。在磁场下定向凝固过程中热电流和静磁场相互作用将会产生一个显著的热电磁力。此磁力将会诱发各种现象,比如液体搅拌、固相运动以及固相受力。由于在金属的凝固过程中常常存在温度梯度,这些效应将会普遍存在。在较小和适度的磁场下热电磁力将促进液体的流动,在较强的磁场下其将抑制液体的流动。另外,热电磁流有多尺度效应,即尺度越小,抑制液体流动所需的磁场越高。至今,已经完成了大量涉及多种合金的实验,所有的实验结果均表明在凝固前沿和糊状区均存在热电磁流。热电磁流动显著地影响凝固过程中微观和宏观偏析、凝固组织以及糊状区晶界结构。热电磁流动的方向以及相应的偏析可以通过改变磁场的方向而被控制。另一方面,作用于固相的热电磁力也将显著地影响固相凝固组织,表现为固相所受的热电磁力导致枝晶的断裂、枝晶碎片的运动和柱状晶-等轴晶转变等。近年来,同步辐射X射线成像技术被应用于实时观测在横向磁场下定向凝固过程中枝晶的生长行为,观察在磁场下枝晶发生断裂和枝晶碎片沿一定方向运动的行为,这进一步证实了磁场下热电磁效应在凝固过程中显著地影响凝固组织。     

来流对Al-Cu合金三维树枝晶生长的影响

建立了模拟二元合金树枝晶生长的三维元胞自动机模型,以Al-4%Cu(质量分数)为模型合金,模拟了合金过冷熔体中树枝晶的生长过程,研究了来流对枝晶生长的影响.结果表明,来流对合金过冷熔体中三维树枝晶生长影响显著,迎流侧枝晶尖端生长速度随来流速度的增大而增大,枝晶尖端半径随来流速度的增大而减小;随着来流速度的增大,枝晶尖端选择参数减小;在给定过冷度条件下,随界面能各向异性的增大,来流对枝晶尖端选择参数的影响增强;对于给定的合金(或界面能各向异性),来流对枝晶尖端选择参数的影响随着过冷度的增大而增强.     

三元合金凝固过程枝晶生长数值模拟

建立了使用元胞自动机方法结合合金凝固过程动量、能量和质量传输计算三元合金枝晶形貌与偏析发展的数学模型.把该数学模型应用到了Fe-C-Si三元合金凝固过程,枝晶臂的生长、粗化过程,以及枝晶间的微观偏析得到了再现.同时该数学模型也描述了凝固过程熔体流动对Fe-C-Si合金凝固过程枝晶形貌发展的影响.     

Macrosegregation and thermosolutal convection-related freckle formation in directionally solidified Sn–Ni peritectic alloy in crucibles with different diameters

Different from other alloys, the observation in this work on the dendritic mushy zone shows that the freckles are formed in two different regions before and after peritectic reaction in directional solidification of Sn–Ni peritectic alloys. In addition, the experimental results demonstrate that the dendritic morphology is influenced by the temperature gradient zone melting and Gibbs–Thomson effects. A new Rayleigh number (Ra_P) is proposed in consideration of both effects and peritectic reaction. The prediction of Ra_P confirms the freckle formation in two regions during peritectic solidification. Besides, heavier thermosolutal convection in samples with larger diameter is also demonstrated.     

Fe-0.6%C合金凝固过程枝晶生长数值模拟

采用元胞自动机方法,结合合金凝固过程中的动量、能量和质量传输,建立了计算枝晶形貌与偏析发展的数学模型。把该数学模型应用到Fe-0.6%C合金凝固过程,枝晶臂的生长、粗化和柱状晶向等轴晶转变过程得到了再现。同时该数学模型也描述了凝固过程熔体流动对Fe-0.6%C枝晶形貌发展的影响。     

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.     

A coupled model of grain growth and solute transfer in molten pool of nickel-based alloy

A coupled model of grain growth and solute transfer based on cellular automaton (CA) method was established and applied to grain growth simulation in molten pool of nickel-based alloy.The CA method was used to simulate welding solidification process successfully,but few researches had taken the effect of convection on dendrite morphology into account.In this paper,solute transfer model was used to calculate the effect of convection and diffusion on solute field with CA method simulating grain growth.The results indicate that convection has a significant effect on the morphology of equiaxed grain.Dendrite growth in the upstream direction is amplified,while it is inhibited in the downstream direction.With inlet velocity increasing,this effect becomes more severe.     

Numerical study of convection-induced peritectic macro-segregation effect at the directional counter-gravity solidification of Ti–46Al–8Nb alloy

Unidirectional counter-gravity (upward) melt solidification of Ti–46Al–8Nb (at%) intermetallic alloy was performed in the three-zone resistive tube electro-furnace with power-down thermal profile operation. The laboratory refinement of cylindrical ingots growth technique was developed in course of terrestrial preparation experiments in the facility specially designed for a sounding rocket flight. Despite Ti–46Al–8Nb is nominally slightly pro-peritectic composition, an axial elongated channel-like area with peritectically-transformed microstructure was observed in solidified ingots, where Al content locally exceeds 47 at%. For revealing the reasons of this microstructural inhomogeneity formation, the numerical modeling was applied. The real-time-scale 2D temperature field mapping, macro-scale study of melt hydrodynamics, heat–mass transfer, segregation effects, mushy zone evolution and solidification dynamics of TiAl–Nb melt/solid system have been performed accordingly. It was found that appearance of peritectic axial “spindle” in the solid is induced by the joint action of two factors in the melt: (i) rejection of Al solute ahead of the concave growth interface (dendrite tips front); (ii) development of weak laminar thermo-gravitational convective flow that picks-up, pulls upward and stratifies an Al-enriched stream along the axis of melt column. The driving force of convection is a radial thermal gradient that depends on the furnace operational thermal conditions. To prevent the segregation, it was shown numerically that single regular convective cell could be broken into several cells by the appropriate variation of power-down cooling rate. The resulting uniform as-solidified microstructure of alloy obtained confirms the modeling findings.     

Microstructure refinement of AZ31 alloy solidified with pulsed magnetic field

The effects of a pulsed magnetic field on the solidified microstructure of an AZ31 magnesium alloy were investigated. The experimental results show that the remarkable microstructural refinement is achieved when the pulsed magnetic field is applied to the solidification of the AZ31 alloy. The average grain size of the as-cast microstructure of the AZ31 alloy is refined to 107 μm. By quenching the AZ31 alloy, the different primary α-Mg microstructures are preserved during the course of solidification. The microstructure evolution reveals that the primary α-Mg generates and grows in globular shape with pulsed magnetic field, contrast with the dendritic shape without pulsed magnetic field. The pulsed magnetic field causes melt convection during solidification, which makes the temperature of the whole melt homogenized, and produces an undercooling zone in front of the liquid/solid interface, which makes the nucleation rate increased and big dendrites prohibited. In addition, the Joule heat effect induced in the melt also strengthens the grain refinement effect and spheroidization of dendrite arms.     

From constrained to unconstrained growth during directional solidification

A one-dimensional solidification model has been developed to study the directional solidification of dendritic alloys. It is based on the resolution of the heat flow equation using a two-interface front tracking technique. The two interfaces are defined by imaginary limits, assumed to be macroscopically flat, which correspond to the positions of the growing dendritic and eutectic interfaces. These delimit the three regions that are considered: liquid, mushy zone and solid. Growth kinetics laws are applied to the interfaces by velocity vs temperature relationships. It was found that, if complete solidification was carried out directionally up to the top of the ingot (i.e. formation of a fully columnar structure), then the velocity of the dendrite tips first increased during the stage of the superheat loss, then decreased when no substantial thermal gradient remained in the liquid ahead of the growing dendritic interface. Applied to directional solidification experiments carried out with aluminium–silicon alloys, the model shows that this maximum velocity was reached when the top position of the mushy zone (i.e. the dendritic interface) reached about two-thirds the length of the ingots. This position being in the vicinity of the columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) observed in the longitudinal section of the ingots, a CET scenario is proposed based on a constrained-to-unconstrained growth transition, leading to breakdown of the columnar dendritic front.     

Influence of thermal stabilization treatment on the subsequent microstructure development during directional solidification of a Ti–46Al–5Nb alloy

Directional solidification (DS) experiments with thermal stabilization (TS) treatments were performed on Ti–46Al–5Nb (at.%) alloys in a Bridgman-type furnace using a quenching technology. Influence of the TS treatment on mushy zone and directional growth afterwards were investigated. The results show that the length of the mushy zone decreases but the β dendrite spacing in directional growth significantly increases with increasing TS time. During the DS process, β dendrite spacing is more homogeneous and its growth direction is more inclined to parallel to the axial direction with increase of the TS time. Al solute concentration in the mushy zone in a steady-state is always lower than that in original as-cast alloys. The mushy zone with the columnar β and α grains is easily produced after TS treatment on the alloys with microstructures of the directional dendrite segregation morphology before DS starting. TS treatment results in the redistribute of solute Al thus changes the phase constituent in the mushy zone. An appropriate TS is necessary to produce the L + β + α region in the mushy zone, which is of great benefit to control DS microstructures of TiAl peritectic alloys.     

Al-35La定向凝固组织的力学性能及形成机理

采用定向凝固技术,研究了Al-35La合金的组织形貌特征、力学性能及其形成条件。结果表明,定向凝固Al-35La合金试样中的枝晶沿主干方向成分是不连续的,表现为周期性双相枝晶组织。对其力学性能进行测试发现,各定向凝固试样压缩性能较好,硬度值较高。分析了Al-35La合金周期性双相枝晶的形成条件。讨论了一定强度的对流在枝晶形核与长大过程中起到的促进溶质交换、带走结晶潜热的作用。由此认为,一定强度的对流促进了Al-35La合金液中两相的交替形核和生长,最终在合金中形成周期性双相枝晶组织。     

Observation of dendritic growth and fragmentation in Ga–In alloys by X-ray radioscopy

Abstract

Capabilities of the X-ray attenuation contrast radioscopy were utilised to provide a real time diagnostic technique for observations of dendritic growth and fragmentation during solidification of a Ga–30In (wt-%) alloy. The solidification process was visualised by means of a microfocus X-ray tube providing shadow radiographs at spatial resolutions of about 10 μm. Experiments have been carried out to solidify the Ga–In alloy unidirectionally either starting from the bottom or the top of the specimen. The first case is significantly affected by solutal convection, which governs a redistribution of solute concentration. A detachment of dendrite side arms, which is unambiguously caused by melt flow, was not observed. Dendritic fragmentation occurs during the solidification in the reverse top down direction. Variations of the applied cooling rate excited a transition from a columnar to an equiaxed dendritic growth (CET).