Continuous Casting Solidification Phenomena

1
ME450
Continuous Casting:
Solidification phenomena
B.G. Thomas
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Tenaris University Continuous Casting Course BG Thomas 1
Director, Continuous Casting Consortium
Wilkins Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Overview
Solidification structure formation
Nucleation, Dendrites, and grain growth , , g g
Effect of EMS
Segregation
Microsegregation (between dendrites)
Macrosegregation (centerline vs surface)
Tenaris University Casting Course, 2007 Solidification BG Thomas 2
Hot-tear cracks and ductility loss
2
Billet casting
process
Ladle
Tundish
Molten
Steel
T b ld
Molten steel stream
Mold
Torch Cutoff
Point
Liquid
Pool
Solidifying
Meniscus
z
Tube mold
Small cross section
Small aspect ratio
Open pour
(with oil lubrication)
Or submerged nozzle
Foot rolls
Spray
Cooling
Billet
Metallurgical
Length
Strand
Solidifying
Shell
Drive roll
(with mold flux)
The mold is the heart of the caster
Transforms liquid to a shaped cross-section
R h t t lidif lt t l h ll Removes heat to solidify molten steel shell
Determines productivity
Breakouts
Casting speed
Determines quality
Determines quality
Creates surface!
Affects internal cleanliness and structure
3
Billet mold
meniscus
Steel Jacket
Mold
Water Channel
s
t
e
e
l
Side view
Top view
S
o
l
i
d
i
f
y
i
n
g

Solidification Front Structure
Liquidus (100% liquid)
Cell
Solidus (100% solid)
Solid
mold
Columnar dendrite
Nucleus
Mushy region
Primary dendrite arm spacing
shell
Equiaxed grain
4
Final Solidification Structure
Showering crystals initiate columnar-equiaxed transition
Gravity causes earlier transition on outer radius
Variations in equiaxed
grain pile-up traps liquid
pockets, leading to
porosity and centerline
Ed Szekeres, Brimacombe course notes
porosity and centerline
segregation
Radial Streaks
Segregation Defects
Centerline Segregation
(and Porosity)
c
a
s
t
i
n
g
Longitudinal Section
cracks filled with
segregated liquid
Ed Szekeres
5
Final Solidification Structure
Typical grain structure in a billet cross section
Development of Microstructure
Nucleation
Undercooling needed to overcome energy barrier g gy
to initiate nucleation
number of nucleation sites controls # of grains
Growth
Competitive growth of columnar grains from walls
(Certain growth directions are preferred)
Equiaxed grains nucleate in central liquid
Final macrostructure
depends on competition between columnar vs.
equiaxed grains
6
Dendrite Growth
Dendrites start from nucleation sites
Branched, 3-D, tree-like structures
[100] growth direction [100] growth direction
Secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS, ) has
important effect on material properties
<100>
<010>
Secondary
arms
<100>
<001>
Columnar solidification video equiaxed solidif. video

Segregation
Caused by:
Alloy partitioning during solidification creates enriched liquid
Fluid flow (from liquid shrinkage bulging convection etc ) Fluid flow (from liquid shrinkage, bulging, convection, etc.)
Microsegregation
Small scale (in between dendrites)
Macrosegregation
Scale of entire cast section center to surface
Filling in of internal cracks and porosity with enriched liquid
Cannot be removed!
Worse at higher superheat
need superheat < 10C to avoid segregation
Need some squeezing to match liquid shrinkage
(0.3 2 mm/m machine taper, or soft reduction)
7
Segregation
Caused by:
Alloy partitioning during solidification creates enriched liquid
Fluid flow (from liquid shrinkage bulging convection etc ) Fluid flow (from liquid shrinkage, bulging, convection, etc.)
Microsegregation
Small scale (in between dendrites)
Macrosegregation
Scale of entire cast section center to surface
Filling in of internal cracks and porosity with enriched liquid
Cannot be removed!
Worse at higher superheat
need superheat < 10C to avoid segregation
Need some squeezing to match liquid shrinkage
(0.3 2 mm/m machine taper, or soft reduction)
Equilibrium (Very Slow) Cooling Non-Equilibrium Solidification
Phase diagrams explain alloy
partitioning and segregation
Insufficient diffusion causes compositional changes: segregation.
From: W.D. Callister, Materials Science and Engineering,An
Introduction (6th Ed.) , Wiley and Sons, 2003, pp. 257,259.
8
Phase Diagram Composition between Dendrites
Phase diagrams explain alloy
partitioning and segregation
Primary
dendrite arm
0.2
Liq id
4
3
2
1
1.0
12.6
%S
1
o
Liquid
o+L
2
3
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

o
C
4
o+|
12.6
Insufficient diffusion causes compositional changes: segregation.
0
0.2
12.6
Weight % S
Fe
1.0 0.2
Continuous Casting Short Course Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram Prof. Brian G. Thomas
9
1.0

Scheil
0.13%C-0.35%Si-1.52%Mn-0.016%P-0.002%S C
R
= 0.25
o
C/sec
Microsegregation: composition
variations between dendrites
0.4
0.6
0.8
Clyne-Kurz & Ohnaka(2o)
Ohnaka(4o) & simple model
present FDM
Lever rule
Brody-Flemings
C

i
n

L
i
q
u
i
d

P
h
a
s
e
,

w
t
%
17
0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
0.0
0.2
o = 3.773
k = 0.19
C
o
= 0.13
C
Solid Fraction
0.34%Si-1.52%Mn-0.012%P-0.015%S
Non-equilibrium Phase Diagram
(from Microsegregation Model)
1400
1450
1500
1550
o+L
o++L

o
+L
Liquid
f
S
=0.0
f
S
=0.75

m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
,

o
C
18
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
1300
1350 f
S
=0.9
f
S
=1.0
cooling rate (
o
C/sec)
1
10
100
T
e
m
Carbon Content, wt%
10
Macrosegregation in a rolled billet
Segregation is: composition variations between regions of a casting
Macrosegregation cannot be removed!
Rotary Mold EMS
Rotary Mold EMS most common
- Controls superheat p
- Excessive EMS can entrap
surface scum
- lowers temp gradients in liquid
- mixes liquid
Rotating magnetic field stirs liquid
- mixes liquid
- favors equiaxed grains
11
2X Mold EMS
(M) <10 Hz
Other types of EMS
Strand EMS
(S) Longitudinal Transverse
Final EMS
(F) 60Hz
Effects of EMS on solidification structure
Benefits:
Controls superheat Controls superheat
Increases equiaxed zone
Lessens internal porosity and segregation
Problems:
Scum entrapment and surface defects (from
meniscus waves and increased surface flows)
Creates light and dark segregation bands
(from flow washing over solidification front)
12
Fluid flow causes bands
Faint dark & light bands caused by fluid flow (eg. EMS)
(indicate shell thinning due to the local reduction in cooling rate caused by
a surface depression).
Casting Macrostructures: range
(depends on conditions & composition)
Fully
columnar
Fully
equiaxed
13
Control of solidification structure
Larger equiaxed zone with:
Low superheat Low superheat
Electromagnetic stirring
High alloy content (larger freezing range)
Add grain refiners (easier nucleation)
Columnar grain boundaries are weak
Surface (chill)
Hot Tearing cracks
- Occur due to tension
stress on mushy zone
-Intergranular:
- Follow between dendrites &
grain boundaries
Austenite Grain Boundaries
14
Measuring ductility
Ductility is the ability of metal to draw down or neck and avoid brittle
fracture by plastic flow
Ductility is measured by reduction in area, %RA., in 1D tensile tests y y
% 100 . . % x
A
A A
A R
o
f o

=
Behavior in actual 3D stress - strain states must be inferred indirectly
Ductility Problems in Steel
crack
c
t
i
l
i
t
y

t
i
o
n

i
n

A
r
e
a
)
hot
tearing
intermediate
temperature
ductility loss
S, P
segregation
liquid
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

r
i
u
m
)
100

sulfide or
nitride
precipitates
grain boundary
dendrite
300 600 900 1200 1500
Temperature (C)
D
u
c

(
%

R
e
d
u
c
t
o + Fe3C
A1
A
3

L
i
q
u
i
d
u
s

T
e
S
o
l
i
d
u
s

T
e
m

(
n
o
n
-
e
q
u
i
l
i
b
r
0
o+
Temperature (
o
C)
15
High temperature embrittlement
Hot Tear Crack Formation
Tensile test of
solidifying
Succino-nitrile
M. Rappaz,
JOM-e, Jan 2002
16
Grain Boundary Embrittlement
Hot Tear Crack: Closeup
Scanning electron
micrograph of exposed
f f id k surface of midway crack
showing smooth contour
of dendrite arms that were
covered liquid film when
crack formed.
Precipitates are MnS that
likely solidified into
lumps afterwards (the thin
liquid film forms beads
liquid film forms beads
due to surface tension)
Vandrunen, Brimacombe,
and Weinberg, Ironmaking
and Steelmaking, Vol. 2, 125,
1975
17
High temperature zone of embrittlement
Zero ductility point (~1340C) - Solidus
hot tearing
M h i Mechanism:
Liquid film formation at grain boundaries due to
segregation to interdendritic liquid of residual
elements: S, P, Cu, Sn, Sb, Zn
most important zone for continuous casting cracks
(particularly internal cracks)
ff t f ll i l t
effect of alloying elements:
S, Cu, Sn, Sb, Zn - bad
Mn - helps
P - worsens embrittlement at high carbon content
Iron-Sulfur Phase Diagram
Effect of alloys
Adding residual element
lowers melting point
Same applies to other
residuals:
P
Fe
S
Sn
Bi
Sb
Cu
Zn
18
Effect of S
Adding Mn traps S as
MnS precipitates
Raises solidus temperature
Fe
http://riodb.ibase.aist.go.jp/pdsul/e_index_top.html
Effect of Mn
1%Mn
Liquid
L+
Adding Mn traps S as
MnS precipitates
Raises solidus temperature
+nS
+MnS
++MnS
Fe
http://riodb.ibase.aist.go.jp/pdsul/e_index_top.html
+MnS
19
Liquidus
Location of Crack Formation
Solidus
x
2
x
1
x
2
x
1
Internal
crack
start
end
Strand surface
High
Temperature
end
Casting
Direction
Crack with ferrite network
Crack following
prior austenite prior austenite
grain boundaries
B.G. Thomas, PhD Thesis, 1985
20
Ferrite network
crack: zoom-in
B.G. Thomas, I.V. Samarasekera and J.K.
Brimacombe, "Investigation of Panel Crack
Formation in Steel Ingots, Part II: Off-
Corner Panel Cracks," Metall. Trans. B,
Vol. 19B (2), 1988, 289-301.
Grain boundary fracture mechanism
Init. Sol talk

Continuous Casting Solidification Phenomena

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Continuous Casting Solidification Phenomena

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1

Columnar solidification video equiaxed solidif. video

You might also like