Papers by Keyword: Columnar Equiaxed Transition (CET)

Abstract: In this work the transition from columnar to equiaxed growth is studied during the solidification of the univariant eutectic L=> α(Al) + θ-Al2Cu in the ternary Al-Cu-Ag system. The columnar to equiaxed transition (CET) in a ternary system behaves very similar to the CET observed in binary systems [1]. It is observed that the CET occurs at lower temperature gradients when the amount of the third alloying element, in this case Ag, is increased. Another important solidification parameter is the cooling rate of the furnace. When the cooling rate is increased, the CET will occur at lower positions in the sample where the temperature gradient is lower.

Abstract: This paper studies the Columnar to Equiaxed Transition (CET) in an Al-7wt%Si binary alloy with and without Al-Ti-B grain refiner. A microgravity experiment was designed to produce a CET in this alloy system. The experiment was flown onboard the MAXUS-7 sounding rocket platform, which achieved twelve minutes of microgravity. Examples of CET were successfully produced during the unmanned flight. Temperature data were recorded from thermocouples in the crucible walls of the furnace. Post-mortem material characterization of the grain structure was also performed. Subsequently a model of the furnace, which used a front-tracking model of solidification and an inverse heat calculation method, was developed. In this paper, results from the model are compared to the experimental findings; agreement is found with the CET predictions. The results from the model are then used to compare findings with the CET criterion of Hunt from the literature. Agreement is found between the model predictions and the Hunt criterion.

Abstract: A three-step combined analytical and numerical approach to thermal modelling of a two-heater power-down furnace for controlled directional solidification of an intermetallic alloy is proposed. An analytical sensitivity analysis of the thermal model is carried out to show the effect of adiabatic zone length, and both hot-zone and cold-zone heater temperatures, on the initial thermal gradient in the sample and on the length of melt in the adiabatic zone. The subsequent axisymmetric front tracking method (FTM) simulations of directional solidification of a binary intermetallic Ti-46at.%Al alloy show that temperature gradient in the melt declines and velocity of the solid-liquid front increases with time, thus promoting good conditions for a columnar to equiaxed transition. The proposed analytical calculations combined with full-scale numerical FTM simulations provide a convenient and predictive optimization tool for the two-heater power-down furnace design and growth conditions for the future microgravity experiments.

Abstract: The present paper deals with the formation of macrosegregation in a benchmark ingot using (Fe-C-Cr) ternary alloy composition. The numerical investigation of complex multiphase phenomena is a difficult study, because the thermophysical properties depend strongly on the temperature, concentration, pressure and chemical composition as well. For the numerical modeling of solidification and melting processes different phases (e.g. liquid, equiaxed crystals and columnar dendrite trunks) have been considered. The mass, momentum, energy conservation and species conservation equations for each phase have been solved. The Eulerian-Eulerian model equations have been implemented in the commercial Finite Volume Method based FLUENT-ANSYS v6.3 CFD software using User-Defined Functions (UDF). The mass transfer has been modelled by diffusion controlled crystal growth by applying an advanced tip tracking algorithm for columnar solidification. The modeling of the grain density transport has been improved. The derivatives of the mass fraction quantities for each component appear in the nucleation rate term. It means that we obtain a new term of the right hand side of the grain density transport equation for using ternary alloy composition. This paper focuses on both the process and simulation parameters and their influence on the macrosegregation formation. The results show that the macrosegregation pattern does not change significantly above a well-chosen number of grid cells, and the computational time could be decreased, when the time step size has been increased.

Abstract: Laser additive direct deposition of metals is a new rapid manufacturing technology, which combines with computer aided design, laser cladding and rapid prototyping. The advanced technology can build fully-dense metal components directly from the information transferred from a computer file by depositing metal powders layer by layer with neither mould nor tool. Based on the theory of this technology, an experimental setup for laser rapid manufacturing process was developed. Through this state-of-the-art automated apparatus, some cladding experiments were performed to grasp the process features of laser rapid manufacturing technology. Finally, the columnar/equiaxed grain growth transition model is used to explain the morphology characteristic. Accordingly, the appropriate microstructure can be obtained by adjusting the processing parameters.

Abstract: A coupled cellular automaton-finite difference (CA-FD) model is used to simulate the detailed dendritic structure evolution of the columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) for Al-Cu alloys during solidification. The effects of material properties (nucleation undercooling, density of nuclei in bulk liquid and alloy solidification range) on the CET are investigated. Simulated results reveal that: (1) equiaxed grains form at an earlier stage with a smaller critical nucleation undercooling; (2) CET is promoted if the density of nuclei in bulk liquid is increased; (3) extending the alloy solidification range promotes the CET. Finally, CET maps corresponding to different alloy concentrations are constructed, illustrating the relationship between processing conditions and the resulting grain structures for alloys with different solidification ranges.

Abstract: We have investigated the columnar to equiaxed transition experimentally in directionally solidified hypoeutectic binary AlSi alloys with and without grain refinement particles and for different processing parameters in the framework of the ESA-MAP CETSOL (Columnar-to-equiaxed transition in solidification processing). A power-down technique was used in a Bridgman-Stockbarger type gradient-furnace to simultaneously increase the solidification rate and decrease the temperature gradient in the cylindrical sample during directional solidification vertically upwards. The position of the CET was determined from the cut and polished samples and correlated to the applied cooling rate for different experiments. Critical parameters for the temperature gradient and the solidification rate at the transition were determined from cooling curves measured within the sample and from a time-of-flight analysis of ultrasonic pulses propagated in the solid part of the sample and being reflected at the solid-liquid interface. The critical values found are compared to the deterministic models of Hunt and of Martorano et al. The objective of this contribution is the presentation of preliminary results for the different alloys and processing parameters of ground-based experiments. These results will be used for the testing of different models describing the CET within the framework of the ESA-MAP CETSOL and for the preparation of comparative microgravity experiments.

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: The as-cast properties of components with a columnar grain structure are very different from those with an equiaxed one. Under certain solidification conditions, zones of both structures can occur in an alloy casting; the boundary between the zones is the columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET). A front-tracking model of dendritic solidification has been developed, which can predict the nucleation and growth of solid in undercooled liquid during a casting process. The growth process is described by dendrite tip kinetics, and is fully coupled to a fixed-grid control volume model of heat transfer during solidification. Using the front-tracking model, two methods for predicting the likelihood of an equiaxed zone forming ahead of a columnar front have been formulated, namely, an indirect method and a direct method. The indirect method is based on modelling the growth of the columnar front in the absence of equiaxed nucleation. The bulk liquid undercooling is monitored and an equiaxed indicator is calculated at each time step based on the extent of such undercooling at that time. The equiaxed indicator is a measure of the relative likelihood of an equiaxed zone forming. In the direct method nucleation and growth of individual equiaxed grains is treated ahead of the advancing columnar front. In this case, if impingement of neighbouring fronts is treated, the simulation to complete solidification will yield the macrostructure and the CET. In this paper, details of both methods of equiaxed prediction are presented. Results from the indirect method are compared to experimental results found in literature and agreement is found.

Abstract: A Cellular-Automaton Finite-Volume-Method (CAFVM) algorithm has been developed, coupling with macroscopic model for heat transfer calculation and microscopic models for nucleation and growth. The solution equations have been solved to determine the timedependent constitutional undercooling and interface retardation during solidification. The constitutional undercooling is then coupled into the CAFVM algorithm to investigate both the effects of thermal and constitutional undercooling on columnar growth and crystal selection in the columnar zone, and formation of equiaxed crystals in the bulk liquid. The model cannot only simulate microstructures of alloys but also investigates nucleation mechanisms and growth kinetics of alloys solidified with various solute concentrations and solidification morphologies.