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Directional solidification has a wide interest due to its importance to the iron and steel industry. Examples of further application can be found in the aerospace industry regarding the manufacture of turbine blades and the semiconductor industry regarding single-crystal growth applications. Solute convection in the solidification process results in channel formation, which has a freckle-like appearance in cross-section and has a critical effect on the mechanical strength of a casting. For a solidification process that occurs via planar solidification from a solid boundary, one may consider the presence of three distinct regions often identified as horizontal layers, i.e. a fluid binary mixture (the melt), the solid layer and a two-phase (fluid-solid) mushy layer, separating the other two. The mushy layer is practically a porous medium consisting of an interconnected solid phase having its voids filled with the melt binary fluid. Channelling in the mushy layer and the creating of freckles are being considered the main reasons for non-homogeneous solidification and production of defects in the resulting solid product. The production of defects adversely affects the mechanical properties of the solid product leading to undesirable constraints on its industrial use. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect the vibrations have on the heat transfer during the solidification process as well as on the average density of the solid product and void formation. Experimental as well as theoretical investigations related to the solidification process were undertaken. Two effects that have been observed in previous experimental studies when metals and metal alloys are vibrated during solidification are a decrease in dendritic spacing, which directly affects density, and faster cooling rates and associated solidification times. Because these two effects happen simultaneously during solidification it is challenging to determine the one effect independently from the other. Most previous studies were on metals and metal alloys. In these studies, the one effect, i.e. the decrease in dendritic spacing, might influence the other, i.e. the faster cooling rates, and vice versa. The direct link between vibration and heat transfer has not yet been studied independently. The purpose of this study was to experimentally investigate the effect of vibration only on heat transfer and thus solidification rate. Experiments were conducted on paraffin wax, because it had a clearly defined macroscopic crystal structure consisting of mostly large straight-chain hydrocarbons. The advantage of the large straight-chain hydrocarbons was that the dendritic spacing was not affected by the cooling rate. Experiments were done with paraffin wax inside hollow plastic spheres of 40 mm diameter with 1 mm wall thickness. The paraffin wax was initially in a liquid state at a uniform temperature of 60°C and then submerged into a thermal bath at a uniform constant temperature of 15°C, which was approximately 20°C below the mean solidification temperature of the wax. Experiments were conducted in approximately 300 samples, with and without vibration at frequencies varying from 10 – 300 Hz. The first set of experiments were conducted to determine the solidification times. In the second set of experiments, the mass of wax solidified was determined at discrete time steps, with and without vibration. The results showed that paraffin wax had vibration independent of solid density contrary to other materials, eg. metals and metal alloys. Enhancement of heat transfer resulted in quicker solidification times and possible control over the heat transfer rate. The increase in heat transfer leading to faster solidifcation times was observed to first occur, as frequency increased and then to decrease. Experimental results showed that paraffin wax had vibration independent of solid density contrary to other materials, eg. metals and metal alloys. Enhancement of heat transfer resulted in quicker solidification times and possible control over the heat transfer rate. The increase in heat transfer leading to faster solidifcation times was observed to first occur, as frequency increased and then to decrease. Theoretical results of heat convection in a porous layer heated from below and subject to vibrations are presented by using a truncated spectral method in space. The partial differential equations governing the mass, momentum, heat, and solute transport were tranformed into a set of ordinary differential equations via a truncated modal expansion. Then the resutling equations were solved to identify the variety of regimes, and transitionbetween them, i.e. from steady convection, via periodic and quasi-periodic convection, towards chaotic or weak turbulent convection. The theoretcial results show that the heat convection subject to vibration is generally reduced when compared with the corresponding convection without vibrations. The exception for a certain frequency range shows about a 10% enhancement in the weak turbulent regime of convection, however, a 10% enhancement is still lower than the heat transfer prior to the transition to weak turbulence. Therefore, the heat transfer mechanism can be excluded as the main reason behind the improvement in solidification when vibrations are applied. Both experimental and theoretical results show an enhancement in heat transfer which correlate qualitativally. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / PhD / Unrestricted

The susceptibility to solidification cracking of unstabilized and stabilized ferritic stainless steels was investigated using self-restrained Houldcroft, Modified Varestraint-Transvarestraint (MVT), and hot tensile testing. Five experimental steel grades comprising an unstabilized, two mono stabilized (Ti or Nb), and two dual stabilized (Ti + Nb), and two commercial unstabilized and a dual stabilized (Ti + Nb), and another dual stabilized containing-Mo alloy (nine different alloys in total) were used in this study. Seven steel grades comprising an unstabilized, two mono stabilized (Ti and Nb) respectively, three dual stabilized (Ti + Nb) and a dual stabilized containing Mo were used for the self-restrained Houldcroft method. Autogenous gas tungsten arc welding at a speed of 6 mm/s, 3 mm/s, and 1 mm/s was done. The unstabilized ferritic stainless steel was resistant to solidification cracking. Ti addition to ferritic stainless steel resulted in a minor increase to susceptibility to solidification cracking. Nb in ferritic stainless steel increased solidification cracking. The addition of Ti and Nb resulted in a decreased susceptibility to solidification cracking compared to an alloy containing only Nb. The weld metal microstructures were a mixture of columnar and equiaxed grains. The interdendritic crack surfaces were enriched in Nb, Ti, Mn, Si, Al, Mn, and Mo. The MVT test was used for the test of an unstabilized, a Nb stabilized and two (Ti + Nb) dual stabilized ferritic stainless steels. Two different welding speeds of 6 mm/s and 3 mm/s using autogenous gas tungsten arc welding were employed. The high content (Ti + Nb) steel at a welding speed of 3 mm/s had the greatest sensitivity to solidification cracking. The Nb stabilized steel at both welding speeds (6 mm/s and 3 mm/s) and high content (Ti + Nb) steel at a welding speed of 6 mm/s showed intermediate sensitivity to solidification cracking. The unstabilized and low content (Ti + Nb) grades were the least sensitive to solidification cracking. The weld metal microstructures transverse to the welding direction revealed columnar grains in all the samples for both welding speeds. Three experimental Ti-, Nb-, and dual Ti + Nb stabilized ferritic stainless steels were used for hot tensile testing using a Gleeble-1500D thermo-mechanical machine at testing temperatures of 1200°C, 1250°C, and 1300°C. The dual stabilized ferritic stainless steel showed a high and fairly constant hot ductility with an increasing testing temperature. The Ti stabilized alloy revealed a slightly lower ductility compared to the dual stabilized steel but much higher ductility than the Nb stabilized ferritic stainless steel. The SEM images of the intergranular cracking showed interdendritic morphologies. EDX analysis showed the elements Al, Mn, Ti, Si, Ni, S, Nb, and Ni to be associated with the fractured surfaces. The hot tensile test results were inconclusive, due to the small number of samples and an acquisition frequency that was too low. The MVT test was better than the self-restrained Houldcroft, and the self-restrained Houldcroft was better than the hot tensile tests in quantifying the susceptibility of a specific ferritic stainless steel alloy to solidification cracking. The cracking response of Houldcroft seemed to be dominated by welding speed. Cracking response of MVT test seemed to be dominated by the Nb content. The effect of Nb and Ti on the susceptibility cracking could be explained in terms of the effect of these two alloying elements on the difference between the liquidus and the solidus. Nb was found to segregate strongly to the grain boundaries (low k value) which resulted in a significant increase in the difference between the liquidus and the solidus. This difference increased BTR which results in a high susceptibility to solidification cracking. Ti has a higher k value and segregates less than Nb during solidification. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / PhD / Unrestricted

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No description available.

In order to study inlight ice adhesion at the droplet-scale, a strategy is presented to simulate the impact and solidification of a supercooled water droplet on a cooled substrate. Upon impact, nucleation is assumed to occur instantaneously, and properties of the droplet are chosen to account for the nucleation process. Simulations are performed in ANSYS Fluent using a coupled Volume of Fluid and Level-Set method to capture the air-water interface and an Enthalpy-Porosity method to capture the liquid-solid interface. Calibration of a simulation parameter, Amush, is performed in order to match experimental data for different surface types and surface temperatures. The calibrated simulation strategy is applied to low-speed, inlight icing conditions. The effects of surface variation and droplet diameter variation are investigated, providing insight into the icephobicity of superhydrophobic surfaces. Numerical results suggest that large droplets (approximately 200 micron-diameter) will freeze and adhere to a superhydrophobic surface.

Dendrite growth is the primary form of crystal growth observed in laser deposition process of most commercial metallic alloys. The properties of metallic alloys strongly depend on their microstructure; that is the shape, size, orientation and composition of the dendrite matrix formed during solidification. Understanding and controlling the dendrite growth is vital in order to predict and achieve the desired microstructure and hence properties of the laser deposition metals. A two dimensional (2D) model combining the finite element method (FE) and the cellular automaton technique (CA) was developed to simulate the dendrite growth both for cubic and for hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure material. The application of this model to dendrite growth occurring in the molten pool during the Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS®) process was discussed. Based on the simulation results and the previously published experimental data, the expressions describing the relationship between the cooling rate and the dendrite arm spacing (DAS), were proposed. In addition, the influence of LENS process parameters, such as the moving speed of the laser beam and the layer thickness, on the DAS was also discussed. Different dendrite morphologies calculated at different locations were explained based on local solidification conditions. And the influence of convection on dendrite growth was discussed. The simulation results showed a good agreement with previously published experiments. This work contributes to the understanding of microstructure formation and resulting mechanical properties of LENS-built parts as well as provides a fundamental basis for optimization of the LENS process.

Advanced high strength steels (AHSSs) are considered to have a promising future due to the outstanding properties compared with the conventional steel and have been widely adopted as the base materials for the automotive components. Some of the challenges preventing the extensive applications of AHSSs are due the solidification defects, i.e. hot tearing and segregation. In this thesis, a 3D mesoscale and multi-physics model is developed and validated to directly investigate solidification defects for semi-solid steel with dendritic morphology associated with the peritectic transformation. Similar to the prior models [1,2], the current model explicitly considers the solidification behavior of each grain prior to assembling, which allows for the mesoscale simulation within a semisolid containing thousands of grains. Six sub-models are incorporated: (i) microstructure generation model is used to create the fully solidified microstructure of equiaxed grains based on a Voronoi tessellation; (ii) a dendritic solidification module based on an average volume approach is developed for predicting the solidification behavior of a random set of grains, considering the diffusion in different phases along with peritectic transformation. The progressive coalescence to form a solid cluster is predicted by incorporating an interfacial energy determination model; (iii) a fluid flow module is developed for the prediction of both intra-dendritic flow and extra-dendritic flow within the dendritic network induced by solidification shrinkage and deformation; (iv) a semisolid deformation model is used and extended to simulate the semi-solid mechanical behavior of steel using a discrete element method. The solid grains are modeled using a constitutive law and implemented via Abaqus commercial software; (v) a coupled cracking model incorporated with a failure criterion is used and extended to predict the crack formation and propagation in semi-solid steel. This comprehensive model consists of models (i-iv) and considers the interaction between the deformation within the solid phase and pressure drop in the liquid phase; (vi) a one-way coupled solute transportation module is also developed and used to simulate the solute redistribution due to fluid flow and diffusion within the liquid channels assuming the solid grains are fixed. The movement of the solute-enriched liquid in the solute transport model is induced by solidification shrinkage and deformation. The new 3D mesoscale model is then applied to correlate the semisolid behavior during solidification to different physical and process parameters. The results from the dendritic solidification model show the evolution in semi-solid microstructure and consequently liquid film migration. The model is able to predict the solidification of equiaxed grains with either globular and dendritic structure having experiencing primary solidification and the peritectic transformation. The coalescence phenomenon between grains is considered at the end of solidification using Bulatov’s approach[24] for estimating interfacial energy. It is seen that only 0.9% of the grains are attractive based on their orientations within a specific domain, significantly depressing final-stage solidification. The dendritic fluid flow model quantitatively captures both semi-solid morphology and the fluid flow behavior, and provides an alternative to the convectional experiment for the prediction of permeability by using the given surface area concentration. Comparison of the numerical and experimental permeabilities shows a good agreement (within ± 5%) for either extra-dendrite or intra-dendritic flow, and deviation from the conventional Carman-Kozeny equations using simplified Dendritic Sv or Globular Sv are explained in detail. The results quantitatively demonstrate the effect of grain size and microstructure morphology during solidification on the permeability prediction. The localization of liquid feeding under the pressure gradient is also reproduced. Additionally, the fluid flow due to shrinkage and deformation for non-peritectic and peritectic steel grades with dendritic morphology during solidification was captured for the first time. The cracking model allows for the prediction of hot tearing initiation and the progressive propagation during a tensile test deformation and the results are compared with the experimental results conducted by Seol et al.[3]at different solid fractions. Parametric studies of coalescence criteria and surface tension on the constitutive behavior of the semisolid are discussed and the deformation behavior of alloys with different carbon contents under a feedable mushy zone is investigated. Finally, the solute transport model has been applied to the continuous casting process of steel for the investigation of centreline segregation, and results indicate that the grain size has a great impact on the solute distribution and solute partitioning combined with intra-dendritic fluid flow leads eventually to liquid channels enriched with solute. The predicted composition in these discrete liquid channels shows a great match with the experimental measured profile obtained via the microscopic X-Ray fluorescence (MXRF). / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A phase transformation from liquid to solid phase takes place when the material solidifies. Limited diffusion during this phase transition causes microsegregation, which is aphenomenon during solidification that leads to the formation of secondary phases andconcentration gradients. This affects the properties of the material and how it is to be treatedin further processing steps. Due to the complexity of the solidification process, a modelingapproach has been used for investigation of microsegregation. The Scheil-Gulliver model assumes negligible diffusion in the solid phase but an exchange ofsolute during back-diffusion can have an important influence on solidification. While the Brody-Flemings model considers this, it is questionable in its assumptions. A new proposedmodel by John Ågren that considers multicomponent diffusion effects have been implementedusing the Matlab-Toolbox for Thermo-Calc. The model is used to perform solidification simulations for the binary Al-2.1Cu and theternary Al-2.1Cu-1Si system (at%) and the results are compared to the Scheil-Gulliver modeland DICTRA simulations. The Ågren model gives excellent results for the binary system athigh cooling rates. It does however show deviations from the DICTRA results at lowercooling rates and for the ternary system. / När ett material stelnar sker en fasomvandling från flytande till fast fas. Begränsad diffusionunder denna fasövergång orsakar mikrosegring, vilket är ett fenomen under stelningsförloppetsom skapar sekundära faser och koncentrationsgradienter. Detta påverkar egenskaperna hosmaterialet and hur den ska behandlas under senare processteg. På grund av komplexiteten avstelningsprocessen har modellering använts för att undersöka mikrosegring. Scheil-Gulliver modellen antar att det inte sker någon diffusion i fast fas men ett utbyte avinlösta ämnen kan ha ett viktigt inflytande på stelningsförloppet. Fastän Brody-Flemingsmodellen tar hänsyn till detta så är den tveksam i sina antaganden. En ny föreslagen modell avJohn Ågren betraktar diffusionseffekter för ett multikomponent system och denna harimplementerats med hjälp av Matlab-Toolbox för Thermo-Calc. Modellen har använts för att simulera stelning för ett binärt Al-2.1Cu och ett ternärt Al-2.1-1Si system (at%) och resultaten har jämförts med Scheil-Gulliver modellen och DICTRAsimuleringar. Ågren modellen ger utmärkta resultat för det binära systemet vid högakylhastigheter. Modellen visar däremot avvikelser från DICTRA vid låga kylhastigheter samtför det ternära systemet.

Selective laser melting is a promising metallic additive manufacturing process with many potential applications in a variety of industries. Through a gracious donation made by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California Polytechnic State University received and installed an SLM 125 HL selective laser melting machine in February 2017. As part of the initial setup effort, a preliminary machine verification study was conducted to evaluate the general print quality of the machine with default parameter settings. Coincidentally, the as-printed microstructure of SLM components was evaluated through nil strength fracture surface examination, an alternative to conventional polish-and-etch metallography. A diverse set of components were printed on the SLM 125 HL to determine the procedural best practices and inherent constraints. Additionally, the mode and mechanism of failure for a defective Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory component fabricated at their facility was investigated. From these studies, extensive documentation in the form of standard operating procedures, guidelines, templates, and summary reports was generated with the intent of facilitating future selective laser melting research at Cal Poly and strengthening the learning of students interfacing with the novel technology.