Hot Tearing in Steels During Solidification: Experimental Characterization and Thermomechanical Modeling

Abstract

Hot tearing is a major defect in castings or semifinished cast products. It corresponds to the opening of cracks in the mushy zone and, more precisely, in the areas with high fraction of solid (typically 0.9 and beyond) when the material is subjected to deformations leading to local tensile stress. Various kinds of criteria have been developed to highlight a risk of formation of hot tears. The aim of this study is to evaluate their capability to predict the occurrence of hot tears correctly. In order to do so, two kinds of tests have been analyzed with the use of a thermomechanical finite element model.