A coupled mathematical model of microsegregation and inclusion precipitation during solidification of silicon steel

Abstract

A coupled mathematical model of microsegregation and inclusion precipitation during solidification is established. The model can be used to calculate the kind of precipitated inclusion, the amount of inclusion precipitation and the growth of inclusion during solidification. The calculation by this model shows that the segregation degree of solute elements is suppressed greatly due to the precipitation of inclusions during solidification. A non-coupled model will overestimate the segregation degree and the amount of inclusion precipitation and even give a wrong prediction for the kind of the inclusions. In this paper, the effects of cooling rate on the precipitation and growth of oxides are also discussed.