Flow-enhanced remelting of settling/floating globular crystals during mixed columnar-equiaxed solidification

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

Previously, the authors have used a mixed columnar-equiaxed solidification model, suc-
cessfully ‘reproduced’ the solidification benchmark experiments on the Sn-10wt.%Pb alloy under
natural/forced convections (travelling magnetic stirring) as performed at SIMAP laboratory [Int. J.
Heat Mass Transf. 85 (2015) 438-54]. The current contribution is to address the flow-effect on the
remelting of settling/floating crystals during the mixed columnar-equiaxed solidification. The re-
melting or growth is controlled by diffusion of solute in the liquid boundary layer. The diffusion
length due to the flow-effect is modelled as a function of Schmidt and Reynolds numbers. The mod-
elling results show that remelting rate of the floating/settling crystals, which originate from fragmen-
tation and then brought to the superheated region by the forced flow, can be enhanced by the flow.
In turn the released latent heat can reduce the temperature locally (even globally), hence to speed up
the solidification of the columnar structure. Additionally, the solidification-migration-remelting of
equiaxed grains present an important macrosegregation mechanism. By solidification of a crystal in
the cold region it rejects solute, while by remelting of the crystal it dilutes the surrounding melt.
These phenomena are found critical in many engineering castings with mixed columnar-equiaxed
solidification.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023
EventMCWASP XVI IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering -
Duration: 18 Jun 202323 Jun 2023

Conference

ConferenceMCWASP XVI IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering
Period18/06/2323/06/23