Center Segregation with Final Electromagnetic Stirring in Billet Continuous Casting Process

Abstract

With a multiphase solidification model built, the effect of F-EMS parameters on center segregation was investigated in 160 mm × 160 mm billet continuous casting process. In the model, the initial growth of equiaxed grains which could move freely with liquid was treated as slurry, while the coherent equiaxed zone was regarded as porous media. The results show that the stirring velocity is not the main factor influencing center segregation improvement, which is more affected by current intensity and stirring pool width. Because solute transport is controlled by solidification rate as stirring pool width is 73 mm, center segregation declines continuously with current intensity increasing. As liquid pool width decreases to 61 mm and less latent heat needs to dissipate in the later solidification, the center segregation could be improved more obviously by F-EMS. Due to center liquid solute enrichment and liquid phase accumulation in the stirring zone, center segregation turns to rise reversely with higher current intensity and becomes more serious with stirring pool width further decreasing to 43 mm. As the stirring pool width is 25 mm, the positive segregation has already formed and solute could still concentrate with weak stirring, leading to center segregation deterioration. With the optimized current intensity (400 A) and stirring pool width (61 mm) set for continuous mode, center segregation improvement is better than that of alternative mode.