Investigation of macrosegregation for different dendritic arm spacing, casting temperature, and thermal boundary conditions in a direct-chill casting

Abstract

The study of macrosegregation for different dendritic arm spacing, casting temperature, and cooling conditions in a Direct-Chill (DC) casting was investigated in the present study. The velocity variance-elliptic relaxation ( $$ \overline{{v^{2} }} - f $$ ) turbulence model was used to account for the turbulence effect in the bulk liquid and slurry region. The thermosolutal effect was implemented in the bulk liquid and slurry flow. The Scheil’s solute redistribution model was used to account for solute partitioning at the solidification interfaces. The pressure-based segregated time-dependent solver was used in the solution method to solve the flow equations. The model validation indicates loawer transition thickness due to: (1) efficient damping of the flow in the slurry zone by the turbulence viscous forces, (2) effective handling of the kinematic wall blocking effects in the vicinity of the slurry zone, and (3) strong mixing of the turbulent fluid motion that tends to decrease the distance between the solidus and liquidus isotherm. In all the cases investigated, it was evident that the thermal boundary condition at the secondary cooling zone, casting inlet temperature and secondary Dendritic Arm Spacing (DAS) affect the segregation ratio both at the centerline and the billet surface.