Papers by Author: A. Ciobanas

Abstract: The main objective of the research project of the European Space Agency (ESA) - Microgravity Application Promotion (MAP) programme entitled Columnar-to-Equiaxed Transition in SOLidification Processing (CETSOL) is the investigation of the formation of the transition from columnar to equiaxed macrostructure that takes place in casting. Indeed, grain structures observed in most casting processes of metallic alloys are the result of a competition between the growth of several arrays of dendrites that develop under constrained and unconstrained conditions, leading to the CET. A dramatic effect of buoyancy-driven flow on the transport of equiaxed crystals on earth is acknowledged. This leads to difficulties in conducting precise investigations of the origin of the formation of the equiaxed crystals and their interaction with the development of the columnar grain structure. Consequently, critical benchmark data to test fundamental theories of grain structure formation are required, that would benefit from microgravity investigations. Accordingly, the ESA-MAP CETSOL project has gathered together European groups with complementary skills to carry out experiments and to model the processes, in particular with a view to utilization of the reduced-gravity environment that will be afforded by the International Space Station (ISS) to get benchmark data. The ultimate objective of the research program is to significantly contribute to the improvement of integrated modelling of grain structure in industrially important castings. To reach this goal, the approach is devised to deepen the quantitative understanding of the basic physical principles that, from the microscopic to the macroscopic scales, govern microstructure formation in solidification processing under diffusive conditions and with fluid flow in the melt. Pertinent questions are attacked by well-defined model experiments on technical alloys and/or on model transparent systems, physical modelling at microstructure and mesoscopic scales (e.g. large columnar front or equiaxed crystals) and numerical simulation at all scales, up to the macroscopic scales of casting with integrated numerical models.

Abstract: A numerical model aimed at simulating the segregations during the columnar solidification of a binary alloy is used to investigate the effects of a forced convection. Our objective is to study how the segregation characteristics in the mushy zone are influenced by laminar flows driven both by buoyancy and by AC fields of moderate intensity. Various types of magnetic fields have been tested, namely travelling, rotating magnetic field and slowly modulated electromagnetic forces. The calculations have been achieved on two types of alloys, namely tin-lead and aluminiumsilicon. It is shown that the flow configuration changes the segregation pattern. The change comes from the coupling between the liquid flow and the top of the mushy zone via the pressure distribution along the solidification front. The pressure difference along the front drives a mush flow, which transports the solute in the mushy region. Another interesting type of travelling magnetic field has been tested. It consists of a slowly modulated travelling magnetic field. It is shown that in a certain range of values of the modulation period, the channels are almost suppressed. The normal macrosegregation remains, but the averaged segregation in the mushy zone is weaker than in the natural convection case. The optimal period depends on the electromagnetic force strength as well as the cooling rate. The latter phenomenon cannot occur in the case of rotating magnetic fields, since in that configuration the sign of the pressure gradient along the solidification front remains unchanged. Recent solidification experiments with electromagnetic stirring confirm the predicted macrosegregation patterns.