5th International Conference on Advances in Solidification Processes (ICASP-5) 5th International Symposium on Cutting Edge of Computer Simulation of Solidification, Casting and Refining (CSSCR-5)

As nonmetallic inclusions (NMI) are unavoidable in steel production and commonly have a negative impact on product quality. Metallurgical research has always aimed at either the adjustment of inclusion morphology or inclusion separation to minimize their adverse effects. In the 1990s the conscious nucleation of particles to either promote or inhibit the subsequent growth of other phases became a new research issue. Today, inclusions are successfully used as grain refiner in the solidification of ferritic and austenitic steels providing that their size, number, morphology and chemical composition are precisely adjusted. Ce2O3 and AlCeO3 are considered active to trigger a fine grained solidification structure for many years now. Depending on the introduced amount of Ce the inclusion type present changes. To gain a better understanding for the conditions that lead to these favorable particles and evaluate the reliability of thermodynamic data, the following poster is presenting theoretical considerations based on results from a ChemApp–based kinetic inclusion prediction model that allows the quantification of the influence of chemistry taking into account microsegregation. These results are complemented by laboratory experiments in a vertical tube furnace, where Ce and Al were introduced simultaneously to a pure iron melt containing 80 ppm O and 40 ppm S. The comparison of simulation and experiment reveals that the simulation is fit to be used as guidance even if the agreement is not perfect. The deviations can mostly be attributed to the dissolution process of cerium. Nevertheless these results are invaluable for designing and performing future experiments with the goal of specific cerium inclusions and a refined primary solidification structure.