Segregation in cast products

Abstract

Microsegregation gets eliminated significantly if subsequent hot working and/or annealing are done on cast products. Macrosegregation however persists, causing problems in quality, and hence, has to be attended to. Microsegregation is a consequence of rejection of solutes by the solid into the interdendritic liquid. Scheil’s equation is mostly employed. However, other equations have been proposed, which take into account diffusion in solid phase and/or incomplete mixing in liquid.

Macrosegregation results from movements of microsegregated regions over macroscopic distances due to motion of liquid and free crystals. Motion of impure interdendritic liquid causes regions of positive macrosegregation, whereas purer solid crystals yield negative macrosegregation. Flow of interdendritic liquid is primarily natural convection due to thermal and solutal buoyancy, and partly forced convection due to suction by shrinkage cavity formation etc.

The present paper briefly deals with fundamentals of the above and contains some recent studies as well. Experimental investigations in molten alloys do not allow visualization of the complex flow pattern as well as other phenomena, such as dendrite-tip detachment. Experiments with room temperature analogues, and mathematical modelling have supplemented these efforts. However, the complexity of the phenomena demands simplifying assumptions. The agreement with experimental data is mostly qualitative.

The paper also briefly discusses centreline macrosegregation during continuous casting of steel, methods to avoid it, and the, importance of early columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) as well as the fundamentals of CET.