A Review of Large-Scale Simulations of Microstructural Evolution during Alloy Solidification

Abstract

During the past two decades, researchers have shown interest in large-scale simulations to analyze alloy solidification. Advances in in situ X-ray observations of the microstructural evolution of dendrites have shown defects that can be very costly for manufacturers. These simulations provide the basis for understanding applied meso-/macro-scale phenomena with microscale details using various numerical schemes to simulate the morphology and solve for transport phenomena. Methods for simulating methodologies include cellular automaton, phase field, direct interface tracking, level set, dendritic needle networks, and Monte Carlo while finite element, finite difference, finite volume, and lattice Boltzmann methods are commonly used to solve for transport phenomena. In this paper, these methodologies are explored in detail with respect to simulating the dendritic microstructure evolution and other solidification-related features. The current research, from innovations in algorithms for scaling to parallel processing details, is presented with a focus on understanding complex real-world phenomena. Topics include large-scale simulations of features with and without convection, columnar to equiaxed transition, dendrite interactions, competitive growth, microsegregation, permeability, and applications such as additive manufacturing. This review provides the framework and methodologies for achieving scalability while highlighting the areas of focus that need more attention.