A concentric solidification technique was employed to simulate experimentally the segregation of alloying elements during solidification at the centerline of continuously cast steel. Microstructural development of low carbon steel upon solidification was observed in situ in a laser-scanning confocal microscope. Microscopic analyses following in situ observations, demonstrated that segregation occurring at steel slabs could reasonably be simulated by the use of the concentric solidification technique. The validity of these experimental simulations was correlated with mathematical analyses using the Thermo-Calc and Diffusion Controlled Transformation modelling tools. The effect of cooling rate upon the sequence of events during solidification of Fe–0.18%C and Fe–4.2wt%Ni peritectic alloys was studied and compared with the experimental observations.

Simulation of Microsegregation and the Solid/Liquid Interface Progression in the Concentric Solidification Technique. S.Aminorroaya, M.Reid, R.Dippenaar: Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 2011, 19[2], 025003