Role of Modelling in the Development of High Performance Steels for Important Engineering Applications

Abstract

Stainless steels of different types and grades are being developed world over to meet ever increasing demand for enhanced materials performance. Advanced stainless steel products have applications in a variety of industries including nuclear, defence, space, chemical, oil and gas, medical and appliance. It is understood that the properties of the alloys strongly depend not only on the chemical composition but also on their microstructure, which in turn depends on parameters in the manufacturing process. Therefore, the challenge to the manufacturing industry is not only selection of optimum composition but also relevant manufacturing processes to meet the requirements. Designing a manufacturing process and optimum process schedules using experimental trials is both time consuming and expensive. Modeling and simulation play an important role to reduce these times effectively. This paper presents important points to be considered to produce clean steels and highlights the applicability of modeling techniques that can be effectively applied in a manufacturing industry. Some of the case studies that are included in the paper are Computational Fluid Dynamics model to understand gas atomisation Finite element modeling of compound tube extrusion In conclusion, the power of modeling and simulation to understand manufacturing processes is highlighted.