Modeling of Reoxidation Inclusion Formation During Filling of Steel Castings

A reoxidation inclusion model is described that simulates the entire life cycle of inclusions during the filling of steel castings and predicts their final location in the casting. Inclusions can be released into the mold at the inlet and/or nucleate on the metal free surface, where contact with oxygen from the atmosphere creates them. Inclusion motion is calculated by solving an equation of motion for each inclusion at each time step. The growth of reoxidation inclusions is modeled both by oxide growth due to oxygen pickup at the liquid metal free surface as well as by inclusion agglomeration (combination) when inclusions come close enough together to merge. All of these pieces of the inclusion model have been implemented in commercial casting simulation software, and an application is provided to qualitatively compare the simulation results to experimental results. Also, a series of simulations are performed to examine the effect of various parameters specified in the model.