Tag: Casting

Abstract

This paper presents the results of tests on the suitability of designed heads (impellers) for aluminum refining. The research was carried out on a physical model of the URO-200, followed by numerical simulations in the FLOW 3D program. Four design variants of impellers were used in the study. The degree of dispersion of the gas phase in the model liquid was used as a criterion for evaluating the performance of each solution using different process parameters, i.e., gas flow rate and impeller speed. Afterward, numerical simulations in Flow 3D software were conducted for the best solution. These simulations confirmed the results obtained with the water model and verified them.

Keywords: aluminum, impeller construction, degassing process, numerical modeling, physical modeling

1. Introduction

Constantly increasing requirements concerning metallurgical purity in terms of hydrogen content and nonmetallic inclusions make casting manufacturers use effective refining techniques. The answer to this demand is the implementation of the aluminum refining technique making use of a rotor with an original design guaranteeing efficient refining [1,2,3,4]. The main task of the impeller (rotor) is to reduce the contamination of liquid metal (primary and recycled aluminum) with hydrogen and nonmetallic inclusions. An inert gas, mainly argon or a mixture of gases, is introduced through the rotor into the liquid metal to bring both hydrogen and nonmetallic inclusions to the metal surface through the flotation process. Appropriately and uniformly distributed gas bubbles in the liquid metal guarantee achieving the assumed level of contaminant removal economically. A very important factor in deciding about the obtained degassing effect is the optimal rotor design [5,6,7,8]. Thanks to the appropriate geometry of the rotor, gas bubbles introduced into the liquid metal are split into smaller ones, and the spinning movement of the rotor distributes them throughout the volume of the liquid metal bath. In this solution impurities in the liquid metal are removed both in the volume and from the upper surface of the metal. With a well-designed impeller, the costs of refining aluminum and its alloys can be lowered thanks to the reduced inert gas and energy consumption (optimal selection of rotor rotational speed). Shorter processing time and a high degree of dehydrogenation decrease the formation of dross on the metal surface (waste). A bigger produced dross leads to bigger process losses. Consequently, this means that the choice of rotor geometry has an indirect impact on the degree to which the generated waste is reduced [9,10].

Another equally important factor is the selection of process parameters such as gas flow rate and rotor speed [11,12]. A well-designed gas injection system for liquid metal meets two key requirements; it causes rapid mixing of the liquid metal to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the volume and during the entire process, to produce a chemically homogeneous metal composition. This solution ensures effective degassing of the metal bath. Therefore, the shape of the rotor, the arrangement of the nozzles, and their number are significant design parameters that guarantee the optimum course of the refining process. It is equally important to complete the mixing of the metal bath in a relatively short time, as this considerably shortens the refining process and, consequently, reduces the process costs. Another important criterion conditioning the implementation of the developed rotor is the generation of fine diffused gas bubbles which are distributed throughout the metal volume, and whose residence time will be sufficient for the bubbles to collide and adsorb the contaminants. The process of bubble formation by the spinning rotors differs from that in the nozzles or porous molders. In the case of a spinning rotor, the shear force generated by the rotor motion splits the bubbles into smaller ones. Here, the rotational speed, mixing force, surface tension, and fluid density have a key effect on the bubble size. The velocity of the bubbles, which depends mainly on their size and shape, determines their residence time in the reactor and is, therefore, very important for the refining process, especially since gas bubbles in liquid aluminum may remain steady only below a certain size [13,14,15].

The impeller designs presented in the article were developed to improve the efficiency of the process and reduce its costs. The impellers used so far have a complicated structure and are very pricey. The success of the conducted research will allow small companies to become independent of external supplies through the possibility of making simple and effective impellers on their own. The developed structures were tested on the water model. The results of this study can be considered as pilot.

2. Materials and Methods

Rotors were realized with the SolidWorks computer design technique and a 3D printer. The developed designs were tested on a water model. Afterward, the solution with the most advantageous refining parameters was selected and subjected to calculations with the Flow3D package. As a result, an impeller was designed for aluminum refining. Its principal lies in an even distribution of gas bubbles in the entire volume of liquid metal, with the largest possible participation of the bubble surface, without disturbing the metal surface. This procedure guarantees the removal of gaseous, as well as metallic and nonmetallic, impurities.

2.1. Rotor Designs

The developed impeller constructions, shown in Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4, were printed on a 3D printer using the PLA (polylactide) material. The impeller design models differ in their shape and the number of holes through which the inert gas flows. Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the same impeller model but with a different number of gas outlets. The arrangement of four, eight, and 12 outlet holes was adopted in the developed design. A triangle-shaped structure equipped with three gas outlet holes is presented in Figure 4.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g001.jpg

Figure 1

A 3D model—impeller with four holes—variant B4.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g002.jpg

Figure 2

A 3D model—impeller with eight holes—variant B8.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g003.jpg

Figure 3

A 3D model—impeller with twelve holes—variant B12.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g004.jpg

Figure 4

A 3D model—‘red triangle’ impeller with three holes—variant RT3.

2.2. Physical Models

Investigations were carried out on a water model of the URO 200 reactor of the barbotage refining process (see Figure 5).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g005.jpg

Figure 5

A schematic of the water model of reactor URO 200.

The URO 200 reactor can be classified as a cyclic reactor. The main element of the device is a rotor, which ends the impeller. The whole system is attached to a shaft via which the refining gas is supplied. Then, the shaft with the rotor is immersed in the liquid metal in the melting pot or the furnace chamber. In URO 200 reactors, the refining process lasts 600 s (10 min), the gas flow rate that can be obtained ranges from 5 to 20 dm³·min⁻¹, and the speed at which the rotor can move is 0 to 400 rpm. The permissible quantity of liquid metal for barbotage refining is 300 kg or 700 kg [8,16,17]. The URO 200 has several design solutions which improve operation and can be adapted to the existing equipment in the foundry. These solutions include the following [8,16]:

URO-200XR—used for small crucible furnaces, the capacity of which does not exceed 250 kg, with no control system and no control of the refining process.
URO-200SA—used to service several crucible furnaces of capacity from 250 kg to 700 kg, fully automated and equipped with a mechanical rotor lift.
URO-200KA—used for refining processes in crucible furnaces and allows refining in a ladle. The process is fully automated, with a hydraulic rotor lift.
URO-200KX—a combination of the XR and KA models, designed for the ladle refining process. Additionally, refining in heated crucibles is possible. The unit is equipped with a manual hydraulic rotor lift.
URO-200PA—designed to cooperate with induction or crucible furnaces or intermediate chambers, the capacity of which does not exceed one ton. This unit is an integral part of the furnace. The rotor lift is equipped with a screw drive.

Studies making use of a physical model can be associated with the observation of the flow and circulation of gas bubbles. They require meeting several criteria regarding the similarity of the process and the object characteristics. The similarity conditions mainly include geometric, mechanical, chemical, thermal, and kinetic parameters. During simulation of aluminum refining with inert gas, it is necessary to maintain the geometric similarity between the model and the real object, as well as the similarity related to the flow of liquid metal and gas (hydrodynamic similarity). These quantities are characterized by the Reynolds, Weber, and Froude numbers. The Froude number is the most important parameter characterizing the process, its magnitude is the same for the physical model and the real object. Water was used as the medium in the physical modeling. The factors influencing the choice of water are its availability, relatively low cost, and kinematic viscosity at room temperature, which is very close to that of liquid aluminum.

The physical model studies focused on the flow of inert gas in the form of gas bubbles with varying degrees of dispersion, particularly with respect to some flow patterns such as flow in columns and geysers, as well as disturbance of the metal surface. The most important refining parameters are gas flow rate and rotor speed. The barbotage refining studies for the developed impeller (variants B4, B8, B12, and RT3) designs were conducted for the following process parameters:

Rotor speed: 200, 300, 400, and 500 rpm,
Ideal gas flow: 10, 20, and 30 dm³·min⁻¹,
Temperature: 293 K (20 °C).

These studies were aimed at determining the most favorable variants of impellers, which were then verified using the numerical modeling methods in the Flow-3D program.

2.3. Numerical Simulations with Flow-3D Program

Testing different rotor impellers using a physical model allows for observing the phenomena taking place while refining. This is a very important step when testing new design solutions without using expensive industrial trials. Another solution is modeling by means of commercial simulation programs such as ANSYS Fluent or Flow-3D [18,19]. Unlike studies on a physical model, in a computer program, the parameters of the refining process and the object itself, including the impeller design, can be easily modified. The simulations were performed with the Flow-3D program version 12.03.02. A three-dimensional system with the same dimensions as in the physical modeling was used in the calculations. The isothermal flow of liquid–gas bubbles was analyzed. As in the physical model, three speeds were adopted in the numerical tests: 200, 300, and 500 rpm. During the initial phase of the simulations, the velocity field around the rotor generated an appropriate direction of motion for the newly produced bubbles. When the required speed was reached, the generation of randomly distributed bubbles around the rotor was started at a rate of 2000 per second. Table 1 lists the most important simulation parameters.

Table 1

Values of parameters used in the calculations.

Parameter	Value	Unit
Maximum number of gas particles	1,000,000	–
Rate of particle generation	2000	1·s⁻¹
Specific gas constant	287.058	J·kg⁻¹·K⁻¹
Atmospheric pressure	1.013 × 10⁵	Pa
Water density	1000	kg·m⁻³
Water viscosity	0.001	kg·m⁻¹·s⁻¹
Boundary condition on the walls	No-slip	–
Size of computational cell	0.0034	m

In the case of the CFD analysis, the numerical solutions require great care when generating the computational mesh. Therefore, computational mesh tests were performed prior to the CFD calculations. The effect of mesh density was evaluated by taking into account the velocity of water in the tested object on the measurement line A (height of 0.065 m from the bottom) in a characteristic cross-section passing through the object axis (see Figure 6). The mesh contained 3,207,600, 6,311,981, 7,889,512, 11,569,230, and 14,115,049 cells.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g006.jpg

Figure 6

The velocity of the water depending on the size of the computational grid.

The quality of the generated computational meshes was checked using the criterion skewness angle Q_EAS [18]. This criterion is described by the following relationship:

QEAS=max{βmax−βeq180−βeq,βeq−βminβeq},

(1)

where β_max, β_min are the maximal and minimal angles (in degrees) between the edges of the cell, and β_eq is the angle corresponding to an ideal cell, which for cubic cells is 90°.

Normalized in the interval [0;1], the value of Q_EAS should not exceed 0.75, which identifies the permissible skewness angle of the generated mesh. For the computed meshes, this value was equal to 0.55–0.65.

Moreover, when generating the computational grids in the studied facility, they were compacted in the areas of the highest gradients of the calculated values, where higher turbulence is to be expected (near the impeller). The obtained results of water velocity in the studied object at constant gas flow rate are shown in Figure 6.

The analysis of the obtained water velocity distributions (see Figure 6) along the line inside the object revealed that, with the density of the grid of nodal points, the velocity changed and its changes for the test cases of 7,889,512, 11,569,230, and 14,115,049 were insignificant. Therefore, it was assumed that a grid containing not less than 7,900,000 (7,889,512) cells would not affect the result of CFD calculations.

A single-block mesh of regular cells with a size of 0.0034 m was used in the numerical calculations. The total number of cells was approximately 7,900,000 (7,889,512). This grid resolution (see Figure 7) allowed the geometry of the system to be properly represented, maintaining acceptable computation time (about 3 days on a workstation with 2× CPU and 12 computing cores).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g007.jpg

Figure 7

Structured equidistant mesh used in numerical calculations: (a) mesh with smoothed, surface cells (the so-called FAVOR method) used in Flow-3D; (b) visualization of the applied mesh resolution.

The calculations were conducted with an explicit scheme. The timestep was selected by the program automatically and controlled by stability and convergence. From the moment of the initial velocity field generation (start of particle generation), it was 0.0001 s.

When modeling the degassing process, three fluids are present in the system: water, gas supplied through the rotor head (impeller), and the surrounding air. Modeling such a multiphase flow is a numerically very complex issue. The necessity to overcome the liquid backpressure by the gas flowing out from the impeller leads to the formation of numerical instabilities in the volume of fluid (VOF)-based approach used by Flow-3D software. Therefore, a mixed description of the analyzed flow was used here. In this case, water was treated as a continuous medium, while, in the case of gas bubbles, the discrete phase model (DPM) model was applied. The way in which the air surrounding the system was taken into account is later described in detail.

The following additional assumptions were made in the modeling:

—The liquid phase was considered as an incompressible Newtonian fluid.
—The effect of chemical reactions during the refining process was neglected.
—The composition of each phase (gas and liquid) was considered homogeneous; therefore, the viscosity and surface tension were set as constants.
—Only full turbulence existed in the liquid, and the effect of molecular viscosity was neglected.
—The gas bubbles were shaped as perfect spheres.
—The mutual interaction between gas bubbles (particles) was neglected.

2.3.1. Modeling of Liquid Flow

The motion of the real fluid (continuous medium) is described by the Navier–Stokes Equation [20].

dudt=−1ρ∇p+ν∇2u+13ν∇(∇⋅ u)+F,

(2)

where du/dt is the time derivative, u is the velocity vector, t is the time, and F is the term accounting for external forces including gravity (unit components denoted by X, Y, Z).

In the simulations, the fluid flow was assumed to be incompressible, in which case the following equation is applicable:

∂u∂t+(u⋅∇)u=−1ρ∇p+ν∇2u+F.

(3)

Due to the large range of liquid velocities during flows, the turbulence formation process was included in the modeling. For this purpose, the k–ε model turbulence kinetic energy k and turbulence dissipation ε were the target parameters, as expressed by the following equations [21]:

∂(ρk)∂t+∂(ρkvi)∂xi=∂∂xj[(μ+μtσk)⋅∂k∂xi]+Gk+Gb−ρε−Ym+Sk,

(4)

∂(ρε)∂t+∂(ρεui)∂xi=∂∂xj[(μ+μtσε)⋅∂k∂xi]+C1εεk(Gk+G3εGb)+C2ερε2k+Sε,

(5)

where ρ is the gas density, σ_κ and σ_ε are the Prandtl turbulence numbers, k and ε are constants of 1.0 and 1.3, and G_k and G_b are the kinetic energy of turbulence generated by the average velocity and buoyancy, respectively.

As mentioned earlier, there are two gas phases in the considered problem. In addition to the gas bubbles, which are treated here as particles, there is also air, which surrounds the system. The boundary of phase separation is in this case the free surface of the water. The shape of the free surface can change as a result of the forming velocity field in the liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to use an appropriate approach to free surface tracking. The most commonly used concept in liquid–gas flow modeling is the volume of fluid (VOF) method [22,23], and Flow-3D uses a modified version of this method called TrueVOF. It introduces the concept of the volume fraction of the liquid phase f_l. This parameter can be used for classifying the cells of a discrete grid into areas filled with liquid phase (f_l = 1), gaseous phase, or empty cells (f_l = 0) and those through which the phase separation boundary (f_l ∈ (0, 1)) passes (free surface). To determine the local variations of the liquid phase fraction, it is necessary to solve the following continuity equation:

dfldt=0.

(6)

Then, the fluid parameters in the region of coexistence of the two phases (the so-called interface) depend on the volume fraction of each phase.

ρ=flρl+(1−fl)ρg,

(7)

ν=flνl+(1−fl)νg,

(8)

where indices l and g refer to the liquid and gaseous phases, respectively.

The parameter of fluid velocity in cells containing both phases is also determined in the same way.

u=flul+(1−fl)ug.

(9)

Since the processes taking place in the surrounding air can be omitted, to speed up the calculations, a single-phase, free-surface model was used. This means that no calculations were performed in the gas cells (they were treated as empty cells). The liquid could fill them freely, and the air surrounding the system was considered by the atmospheric pressure exerted on the free surface. This approach is often used in modeling foundry and metallurgical processes [24].

2.3.2. Modeling of Gas Bubble Flow

As stated, a particle model was used to model bubble flow. Spherical particles (gas bubbles) of a given size were randomly generated in the area marked with green in Figure 7b. In the simulations, the gas bubbles were assumed to have diameters of 0.016 and 0.02 m corresponding to the gas flow rates of 10 and 30 dm³·min⁻¹, respectively.

Experimental studies have shown that, as a result of turbulent fluid motion, some of the bubbles may burst, leading to the formation of smaller bubbles, although merging of bubbles into larger groupings may also occur. Therefore, to be able to observe the behavior of bubbles of different sizes (diameter), the calculations generated two additional particle types with diameters twice smaller and twice larger, respectively. The proportion of each species in the system was set to 33.33% (Table 2).

Table 2

Data assumed for calculations.

No	Rotor Speed (Rotational Speed) rpm	Bubbles Diameter m	Corresponding Gas Flow Rate dm³·min⁻¹	No	Rotor Speed (Rotational Speed) rpm	Bubbles Diameter m	Corresponding Gas Flow Rate dm³·min⁻¹
A	200	0.016	10	D	200	0.02	30
0.008	0.01
0.032	0.04
B	300	0.016	10	E	300	0.02	30
0.008	0.01
0.032	0.04
C	500	0.016	10	F	500	0.02	30
0.008	0.01
0.032	0.04

The velocity of the particle results from the generated velocity field (calculated from Equation (3) in the liquid ul around it and its velocity resulting from the buoyancy force ub. The effect of particle radius r on the terminal velocity associated with buoyancy force can be determined according to Stokes’ law.

ub=29 (ρg−ρl)μlgr2,

(10)

where g is the acceleration (9.81).

The DPM model was used for modeling the two-phase (water–air) flow. In this model, the fluid (water) is treated as a continuous phase and described by the Navier–Stokes equation, while gas bubbles are particles flowing in the model fluid (discrete phase). The trajectories of each bubble in the DPM system are calculated at each timestep taking into account the mass forces acting on it. Table 3 characterizes the DPM model used in our own research [18].

Table 3

Characteristic of the DPM model.

Method	Equations
Euler–Lagrange	Balance equation: dugdt=FD(u−ug)+g(ϱg−ϱ)ϱg+F. F_D (u − u_p) denotes the drag forces per mass unit of a bubble, and the expression for the drag coefficient F_D is of the form FD=18μCDReϱ⋅gd2g24. The relative Reynolds number has the form Re≡ρdg\|ug−u\|μ. On the other hand, the force resulting from the additional acceleration of the model fluid has the form F=12dρdtρg(u−ug), where u_g is the gas bubble velocity, u is the liquid velocity, d_g is the bubble diameter, and C_D is the drag coefficient.

Method

Equations

Euler–Lagrange

Balance equation:
dugdt=FD(u−ug)+g(ϱg−ϱ)ϱg+F.
F_D (u − u_p) denotes the drag forces per mass unit of a bubble, and the expression for the drag coefficient F_D is of the form
FD=18μCDReϱ⋅gd2g24.
The relative Reynolds number has the form
Re≡ρdg|ug−u|μ.
On the other hand, the force resulting from the additional acceleration of the model fluid has the form
F=12dρdtρg(u−ug),
where u_g is the gas bubble velocity, u is the liquid velocity, d_g is the bubble diameter, and C_D is the drag coefficient.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Calculations of Power and Mixing Time by the Flowing Gas Bubbles

One of the most important parameters of refining with a rotor is the mixing power induced by the spinning rotor and the outflowing gas bubbles (via impeller). The mixing power of liquid metal in a ladle of height (h) by gas injection can be determined from the following relation [15]:

pgVm=ρ⋅g⋅uB,

(11)

where p_g is the mixing power, V_m is the volume of liquid metal in the reactor, ρ is the density of liquid aluminum, and u_B is the average speed of bubbles, given below.

uB=n⋅R⋅TAc⋅Pm⋅t,

(12)

where n is the number of gas moles, R is the gas constant (8.314), A_c is the cross-sectional area of the reactor vessel, T is the temperature of liquid aluminum in the reactor, and P_m is the pressure at the middle tank level. The pressure at the middle level of the tank is calculated by a function of the mean logarithmic difference.

Pm=(Pa+ρ⋅g⋅h)−Paln(Pa+ρ⋅g⋅h)Pa,

(13)

where P_a is the atmospheric pressure, and h is the the height of metal in the reactor.

Themelis and Goyal [25] developed a model for calculating mixing power delivered by gas injection.

pg=2Q⋅R⋅T⋅ln(1+m⋅ρ⋅g⋅hP),

(14)

where Q is the gas flow, and m is the mass of liquid metal.

Zhang [26] proposed a model taking into account the temperature difference between gas and alloy (metal).

pg=QRTgVm[ln(1+ρ⋅g⋅hPa)+(1−TTg)],

(15)

where T_g is the gas temperature at the entry point.

Data for calculating the mixing power resulting from inert gas injection into liquid aluminum are given below in Table 4. The design parameters were adopted for the model, the parameters of which are shown in Figure 5.

Table 4

Data for calculating mixing power introduced by an inert gas.

Parameter	Value	Unit
Height of metal column	0.7	m
Density of aluminum	2375	kg·m⁻³
Process duration	20	s
Gas temperature at the injection site	940	K
Cross-sectional area of ladle	0.448	m²
Mass of liquid aluminum	546.25	kg
Volume of ladle	0.23	M³
Temperature of liquid aluminum	941.15	K

Table 5 presents the results of mixing power calculations according to the models of Themelis and Goyal and of Zhang for inert gas flows of 10, 20, and 30 dm³·min⁻¹. The obtained calculation results significantly differed from each other. The difference was an order of magnitude, which indicates that the model is highly inaccurate without considering the temperature of the injected gas. Moreover, the calculations apply to the case when the mixing was performed only by the flowing gas bubbles, without using a rotor, which is a great simplification of the phenomenon.

Table 5

Mixing power calculated from mathematical models.

Mathematical Model	Mixing Power (W·t⁻¹) for a Given Inert Gas Flow (dm³·min⁻¹)
	10	20	30
Themelis and Goyal	11.49	23.33	35.03
Zhang	0.82	1.66	2.49

The mixing time is defined as the time required to achieve 95% complete mixing of liquid metal in the ladle [27,28,29,30]. Table 6 groups together equations for the mixing time according to the models.

Table 6

Models for calculating mixing time.

Authors	Model	Remarks
Szekely [31]	τ=800ε−0.4	ε—W·t⁻¹
Chiti and Paglianti [27]	τ=CVQl	V—volume of reactor, m³ Ql—flow intensity, m³·s⁻¹
Iguchi and Nakamura [32]	τ=1200⋅Q−0.4D1.97h−1.0υ0.47	υ—kinematic viscosity, m²·s⁻¹ D—diameter of ladle, m h—height of metal column, m Q—liquid flow intensity, m³·s⁻¹

Figure 8 and Figure 9 show the mixing time as a function of gas flow rate for various heights of the liquid column in the ladle and mixing power values.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g008.jpg

Figure 8

Mixing time as a function of gas flow rate for various heights of the metal column (Iguchi and Nakamura model).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g009.jpg

Figure 9

Mixing time as a function of mixing power (Szekly model).

3.2. Determining the Bubble Size

The mechanisms controlling bubble size and mass transfer in an alloy undergoing refining are complex. Strong mixing conditions in the reactor promote impurity mass transfer. In the case of a spinning rotor, the shear force generated by the rotor motion separates the bubbles into smaller bubbles. Rotational speed, mixing force, surface tension, and liquid density have a strong influence on the bubble size. To characterize the kinetic state of the refining process, parameters k and A were introduced. Parameters k, A, and u_B can be calculated using the below equations [33].

k=2D⋅uBdB⋅π−−−−−−√,

(16)

A=6Q⋅hdB⋅uB,

(17)

uB=1.02g⋅dB,−−−−−√

(18)

where D is the diffusion coefficient, and d_B is the bubble diameter.

After substituting appropriate values, we get

dB=3.03×104(πD)−2/5g−1/5h4/5Q0.344N−1.48.

(19)

According to the last equation, the size of the gas bubble decreases with the increasing rotational speed (see Figure 10).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g010.jpg

Figure 10

Effect of rotational speed on the bubble diameter.

In a flow of given turbulence intensity, the diameter of the bubble does not exceed the maximum size d_max, which is inversely proportional to the rate of kinetic energy dissipation in a viscous flow ε. The size of the gas bubble diameter as a function of the mixing energy, also considering the Weber number and the mixing energy in the negative power, can be determined from the following equations [31,34]:

—Sevik and Park:

dBmax=We0.6kr⋅(σ⋅103ρ⋅10−3)0.6⋅(10⋅ε)−0.4⋅10−2.

(20)

—Evans:

dBmax=⎡⎣Wekr⋅σ⋅1032⋅(ρ⋅10−3)13⎤⎦35 ⋅(10⋅ε)−25⋅10−2.

(21)

The results of calculating the maximum diameter of the bubble d_Bmax determined from Equation (21) are given in Table 7.

Table 7

The results of calculating the maximum diameter of the bubble using Equation (21).

Model	Mixing Energy ĺ (m²·s⁻³)	Weber Number (We_kr)
0.59	1.0	1.2
Zhang and Taniguchi d_max	0.1	0.0167	0.0230	0.026
0.5	0.0088	0.0121	0.013
1.0	0.0067	0.0091	0.010
1.5	0.0057	0.0078	0.009
Sevik and Park d_B_max	0.1	0.265	0.36	0.41
0.5	0.139	0.19	0.21
1.0	0.106	0.14	0.16
1.5	0.090	0.12	0.14
Evans d_B_max	0.1	0.247	0.340	0.38
0.5	0.130	0.178	0.20
1.0	0.098	0.135	0.15
1.5	0.084	0.115	0.13

3.3. Physical Modeling

The first stage of experiments (using the URO-200 water model) included conducting experiments with impellers equipped with four, eight, and 12 gas outlets (variants B4, B8, B12). The tests were carried out for different process parameters. Selected results for these experiments are presented in Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13 and Figure 14.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g011.jpg

Figure 11

Impeller variant B4—gas bubbles dispersion registered for a gas flow rate of 10 dm³·min⁻¹ and rotor speed of (a) 200, (b) 300, (c) 400, and (d) 500 rpm.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g012.jpg

Figure 12

Impeller variant B8—gas bubbles dispersion registered for a gas flow rate of 10 dm³·min⁻¹ and rotor speed of (a) 200, (b) 300, (c) 400, and (d) 500 rpm.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g013.jpg

Figure 13

Gas bubble dispersion registered for different processing parameters (impeller variant B12).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g014.jpg

Figure 14

Gas bubble dispersion registered for different processing parameters (impeller variant RT3).

The analysis of the refining variants presented in Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13 and Figure 14 reveals that the proposed impellers design model is not useful for the aluminum refining process. The number of gas outlet orifices, rotational speed, and flow did not affect the refining efficiency. In all the variants shown in the figures, very poor dispersion of gas bubbles was observed in the object. The gas bubble flow had a columnar character, and so-called dead zones, i.e., areas where no inert gas bubbles are present, were visible in the analyzed object. Such dead zones were located in the bottom and side zones of the ladle, while the flow of bubbles occurred near the turning rotor. Another negative phenomenon observed was a significant agitation of the water surface due to excessive (rotational) rotor speed and gas flow (see Figure 13, cases 20; 400, 30; 300, 30; 400, and 30; 500).

Research results for a ‘red triangle’ impeller equipped with three gas supply orifices (variant RT3) are presented in Figure 14.

In this impeller design, a uniform degree of bubble dispersion in the entire volume of the modeling fluid was achieved for most cases presented (see Figure 14). In all tested variants, single bubbles were observed in the area of the water surface in the vessel. For variants 20; 200, 30; 200, and 20; 300 shown in Figure 14, the bubble dispersion results were the worst as the so-called dead zones were identified in the area near the bottom and sidewalls of the vessel, which disqualifies these work parameters for further applications. Interestingly, areas where swirls and gas bubble chains formed were identified only for the inert gas flows of 20 and 30 dm³·min⁻¹ and 200 rpm in the analyzed model. This means that the presented model had the best performance in terms of dispersion of gas bubbles in the model liquid. Its design with sharp edges also differed from previously analyzed models, which is beneficial for gas bubble dispersion, but may interfere with its suitability in industrial conditions due to possible premature wear.

3.4. Qualitative Comparison of Research Results (CFD and Physical Model)

The analysis (physical modeling) revealed that the best mixing efficiency results were obtained with the RT3 impeller variant. Therefore, numerical calculations were carried out for the impeller model with three outlet orifices (variant RT3). The CFD results are presented in Figure 15 and Figure 16.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g015.jpg

Figure 15

Simulation results of the impeller RT3, for given flows and rotational speeds after a time of 1 s: simulation variants (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, and (f) F.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g016.jpg

Figure 16

Simulation results of the impeller RT3, for given flows and rotational speeds after a time of 5.4 s.: simulation variants (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, and (f) F.

CFD results are presented for all analyzed variants (impeller RT3) at two selected calculation timesteps of 1 and 5.40 s. They show the velocity field of the medium (water) and the dispersion of gas bubbles.

Figure 15 shows the initial refining phase after 1 s of the process. In this case, the gas bubble formation and flow were observed in an area close to contact with the rotor. Figure 16 shows the phase when the dispersion and flow of gas bubbles were advanced in the reactor area of the URO-200 model.

The quantitative evaluation of the obtained results of physical and numerical model tests was based on the comparison of the degree of gas dispersion in the model liquid. The degree of gas bubble dispersion in the volume of the model liquid and the areas of strong turbulent zones formation were evaluated during the analysis of the results of visualization and numerical simulations. These two effects sufficiently characterize the required course of the process from the physical point of view. The known scheme of the below description was adopted as a basic criterion for the evaluation of the degree of dispersion of gas bubbles in the model liquid.

Minimal dispersion—single bubbles ascending in the region of their formation along the ladle axis; lack of mixing in the whole bath volume.
Accurate dispersion—single and well-mixed bubbles ascending toward the bath mirror in the region of the ladle axis; no dispersion near the walls and in the lower part of the ladle.
Uniform dispersion—most desirable; very good mixing of fine bubbles with model liquid.
Excessive dispersion—bubbles join together to form chains; large turbulence zones; uneven flow of gas.

The numerical simulation results give a good agreement with the experiments performed with the physical model. For all studied variants (used process parameters), the single bubbles were observed in the area of water surface in the vessel. For variants presented in Figure 13 (200 rpm, gas flow 20 and dm³·min⁻¹) and relevant examples in numerical simulation Figure 16, the worst bubble dispersion results were obtained because the dead zones were identified in the area near the bottom and sidewalls of the vessel, which disqualifies these work parameters for further use. The areas where swirls and gas bubble chains formed were identified only for the inert gas flows of 20 and 30 dm³·min⁻¹ and 200 rpm in the analyzed model (physical model). This means that the presented impeller model had the best performance in terms of dispersion of gas bubbles in the model liquid. The worst bubble dispersion results were obtained because the dead zones were identified in the area near the bottom and side walls of the vessel, which disqualifies these work parameters for further use.

Figure 17 presents exemplary results of model tests (CFD and physical model) with marked gas bubble dispersion zones. All variants of tests were analogously compared, and this comparison allowed validating the numerical model.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is materials-15-05273-g017.jpg

Figure 17

Compilations of model research results (CFD and physical): A—single gas bubbles formed on the surface of the modeling liquid, B—excessive formation of gas chains and swirls, C—uniform distribution of gas bubbles in the entire volume of the tank, and D—dead zones without gas bubbles, no dispersion. (a) Variant B; (b) variant F.

It should be mentioned here that, in numerical simulations, it is necessary to make certain assumptions and simplifications. The calculations assumed three particle size classes (Table 2), which represent the different gas bubbles that form due to different gas flow rates. The maximum number of particles/bubbles (Table 1) generated was assumed in advance and related to the computational capabilities of the computer. Too many particles can also make it difficult to visualize and analyze the results. The size of the particles, of course, affects their behavior during simulation, while, in the figures provided in the article, the bubbles are represented by spheres (visualization of the results) of the same size. Please note that, due to the adopted Lagrangian–Eulerian approach, the simulation did not take into account phenomena such as bubble collapse or fusion. However, the obtained results allow a comprehensive analysis of the behavior of gas bubbles in the system under consideration.

The comparative analysis of the visualization (quantitative) results obtained with the water model and CFD simulations (see Figure 17) generated a sufficient agreement from the point of view of the trends. A precise quantitative evaluation is difficult to perform because of the lack of a refraction compensating system in the water model. Furthermore, in numerical simulations, it is not possible to determine the geometry of the forming gas bubbles and their interaction with each other as opposed to the visualization in the water model. The use of both research methods is complementary. Thus, a direct comparison of images obtained by the two methods requires appropriate interpretation. However, such an assessment gives the possibility to qualitatively determine the types of the present gas bubble dispersion, thus ultimately validating the CFD results with the water model.

A summary of the visualization results for impellers RT3, i.e., analysis of the occurring gas bubble dispersion types, is presented in Table 8.

Table 8

Summary of visualization results (impeller RT3)—different types of gas bubble dispersion.

No Exp.	A	B	C	D	E	F
Gas flow rate, dm³·min⁻¹	10	30
Impeller speed, rpm	200	300	500	200	300	500
Type of dispersion	Accurate	Uniform	Uniform/excessive	Minimal	Excessive	Excessive

Tests carried out for impeller RT3 confirmed the high efficiency of gas bubble distribution in the volume of the tested object at a low inert gas flow rate of 10 dm³·min⁻¹. The most optimal variant was variant B (300 rpm, 10 dm³·min⁻¹). However, the other variants A and C (gas flow rate 10 dm³·min⁻¹) seemed to be favorable for this type of impeller and are recommended for further testing. The above process parameters will be analyzed in detail in a quantitative analysis to be performed on the basis of the obtained efficiency curves of the degassing process (oxygen removal). This analysis will give an unambiguous answer as to which process parameters are the most optimal for this type of impeller; the results are planned for publication in the next article.

It should also be noted here that the high agreement between the results of numerical calculations and physical modelling prompts a conclusion that the proposed approach to the simulation of a degassing process which consists of a single-phase flow model with a free surface and a particle flow model is appropriate. The simulation results enable us to understand how the velocity field in the fluid is formed and to analyze the distribution of gas bubbles in the system. The simulations in Flow-3D software can, therefore, be useful for both the design of the impeller geometry and the selection of process parameters.

4. Conclusions

The results of experiments carried out on the physical model of the device for the simulation of barbotage refining of aluminum revealed that the worst results in terms of distribution and dispersion of gas bubbles in the studied object were obtained for the black impellers variants B4, B8, and B12 (multi-orifice impellers—four, eight, and 12 outlet holes, respectively).

In this case, the control of flow, speed, and number of gas exit orifices did not improve the process efficiency, and the developed design did not meet the criteria for industrial tests. In the case of the ‘red triangle’ impeller (variant RT3), uniform gas bubble dispersion was achieved throughout the volume of the modeling fluid for most of the tested variants. The worst bubble dispersion results due to the occurrence of the so-called dead zones in the area near the bottom and sidewalls of the vessel were obtained for the flow variants of 20 dm³·min⁻¹ and 200 rpm and 30 dm³·min⁻¹ and 200 rpm. For the analyzed model, areas where swirls and gas bubble chains were formed were found only for the inert gas flow of 20 and 30 dm³·min⁻¹ and 200 rpm. The model impeller (variant RT3) had the best performance compared to the previously presented impellers in terms of dispersion of gas bubbles in the model liquid. Moreover, its design differed from previously presented models because of its sharp edges. This can be advantageous for gas bubble dispersion, but may negatively affect its suitability in industrial conditions due to premature wearing.

The CFD simulation results confirmed the results obtained from the experiments performed on the physical model. The numerical simulation of the operation of the ‘red triangle’ impeller model (using Flow-3D software) gave good agreement with the experiments performed on the physical model. This means that the presented model impeller, as compared to other (analyzed) designs, had the best performance in terms of gas bubble dispersion in the model liquid.

In further work, the developed numerical model is planned to be used for CFD simulations of the gas bubble distribution process taking into account physicochemical parameters of liquid aluminum based on industrial tests. Consequently, the obtained results may be implemented in production practice.

Funding Statement

This paper was created with the financial support grants from the AGH-UST, Faculty of Foundry Engineering, Poland (16.16.170.654 and 11/990/BK_22/0083) for the Faculty of Materials Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Poland.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, K.K. and D.K.; methodology, J.P. and T.M.; validation, M.S. and S.G.; formal analysis, D.K. and T.M.; investigation, J.P., K.K. and S.G.; resources, M.S., J.P. and K.K.; writing—original draft preparation, D.K. and T.M.; writing—review and editing, D.K. and T.M.; visualization, J.P., K.K. and S.G.; supervision, D.K.; funding acquisition, D.K. and T.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Footnotes

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2023.144595 Get rights and content

References

1. Zhang L., Xuewei L., Torgerson A.T., Long M. Removal of Impurity Elements from Molten Aluminium: A Review. Miner. Process. Extr. Metall. Rev. 2011;32:150–228. doi: 10.1080/08827508.2010.483396. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

2. Saternus M. Impurities of liquid aluminium-methods on their estimation and removal. Met. Form. 2015;23:115–132. [Google Scholar]

3. Żak P.L., Kalisz D., Lelito J., Gracz B., Szucki M., Suchy J.S. Modelling of non-metallic particle motion process in foundry alloys. Metalurgija. 2015;54:357–360. [Google Scholar]

4. Kalisz D., Kuglin K. Efficiency of aluminum oxide inclusions rmoval from liquid steel as a result of collisions and agglomeration on ceramic filters. Arch. Foundry Eng. 2020;20:43–48. [Google Scholar]

5. Kuglin K., Kalisz D. Evaluation of the usefulness of rotors for aluminium refining. IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng. 2021;1178:012036. doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/1178/1/012036. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

6. Saternus M., Merder T. Physical modeling of the impeller construction impact o the aluminium refining process. Materials. 2022;15:575. doi: 10.3390/ma15020575. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

7. Saternus M., Merder T. Physical modelling of aluminum refining process conducted in batch reactor with rotary impeller. Metals. 2018;8:726. doi: 10.3390/met8090726. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

8. Saternus M., Merder T., Pieprzyca J. The influence of impeller geometry on the gas bubbles dispersion in uro-200 reactor—RTD curves. Arch. Metall. Mater. 2015;60:2887–2893. doi: 10.1515/amm-2015-0461. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

9. Hernández-Hernández M., Camacho-Martínez J., González-Rivera C., Ramírez-Argáez M.A. Impeller design assisted by physical modeling and pilot plant trials. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 2016;236:1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2016.04.031. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

10. Mancilla E., Cruz-Méndez W., Garduño I.E., González-Rivera C., Ramírez-Argáez M.A., Ascanio G. Comparison of the hydrodynamic performance of rotor-injector devices in a water physical model of an aluminum degassing ladle. Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 2017;118:158–169. doi: 10.1016/j.cherd.2016.11.031. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

11. Michalek K., Socha L., Gryc K., Tkadleckova M., Saternus M., Pieprzyca J., Merder T. Modelling of technological parameters of aluminium melt refining in the ladle by blowing of inert gas through the rotating impeller. Arch. Metall. Mater. 2018;63:987–992. [Google Scholar]

12. Walek J., Michalek K., Tkadlecková M., Saternus M. Modelling of Technological Parameters of Aluminium Melt Refining in the Ladle by Blowing of Inert Gas through the Rotating Impeller. Metals. 2021;11:284. doi: 10.3390/met11020284. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

13. Michalek K., Gryc K., Moravka J. Physical modelling of bath homogenization in argon stirred ladle. Metalurgija. 2009;48:215–218. [Google Scholar]

14. Michalek K. The Use of Physical Modeling and Numerical Optimization for Metallurgical Processes. VSB; Ostrawa, Czech Republic: 2001. [Google Scholar]

15. Chen J., Zhao J. Light Metals. TMS; Warrendale, PA, USA: 1995. Bubble distribution in a melt treatment water model; pp. 1227–1231. [Google Scholar]

16. Saternus M. Model Matematyczny do Sterowania Procesem Rafinacji Ciekłych Stopów Aluminium Przy Zastosowaniu URO-200. Katowice, Poland: 2004. Research Project Nr 7 T08B 019 21. [Google Scholar]

17. Pietrewicz L., Wężyk W. Urządzenia do rafinacji gazowej typu URO-200 sześć lat produkcji i doświadczeń; Proceedings of the Aluminum Conference; Zakopane, Poland. 12–16 October 1998. [Google Scholar]

18. Flow3d User’s Guide. Flow Science, Inc.; Santa Fe, NM, USA: 2020. [Google Scholar]

19. Sinelnikov V., Szucki M., Merder T., Pieprzyca J., Kalisz D. Physical and numerical modeling of the slag splashing process. Materials. 2021;14:2289. doi: 10.3390/ma14092289. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

20. White F. Fluid Mechanics. McGraw-Hill; New York, NY, USA: 2010. (McGraw-Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering). [Google Scholar]

21. Yang Z., Yang L., Cheng T., Chen F., Zheng F., Wang S., Guo Y. Fluid Flow Characteristic of EAF Molten Steel with Different Bottom-Blowing Gas Flow Rate Distributions. ISIJ. 2020;60:1957–1967. doi: 10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2019-794. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

22. Nichols B.D., Hirt C.W. Methods for calculating multi-dimensional, transient free surface flows past bodies; Proceedings of the First International Conference on Numerical Ship Hydrodynamics; Gaithersburg, MD, USA. 20–22 October 1975. [Google Scholar]

23. Hirt C.W., Nichols B.D. Volume of Fluid (VOF) Method for the Dynamics of Free Boundaries. J. Comput. Phys. 1981;39:201–255. doi: 10.1016/0021-9991(81)90145-5. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

24. Szucki M., Suchy J.S., Lelito J., Malinowski P., Sobczyk J. Application of the lattice Boltzmann method for simulation of the mold filling process in the casting industry. Heat Mass Transf. 2017;53:3421–3431. doi: 10.1007/s00231-017-2069-5. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

25. Themelis N.J., Goyal P. Gas injection in steelmaking. Candian Metall. Trans. 1983;22:313–320. [Google Scholar]

26. Zhang L., Jing X., Li Y., Xu Z., Cai K. Mathematical model of decarburization of ultralow carbon steel during RH treatment. J. Univ. Sci. Technol. Beijing. 1997;4:19–23. [Google Scholar]

27. Chiti F., Paglianti A., Bujalshi W. A mechanistic model to estimate powder consumption and mixing time in aluminium industries. Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 2004;82:1105–1111. doi: 10.1205/cerd.82.9.1105.44156. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

28. Bouaifi M., Roustan M. Power consumption, mixing time and homogenization energy in dual-impeller agitated gas-liquid reactors. Chem. Eng. Process. 2011;40:87–95. doi: 10.1016/S0255-2701(00)00128-8. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

29. Kang J., Lee C.H., Haam S., Koo K.K., Kim W.S. Studies on the overall oxygen transfer rate and mixing time in pilot-scale surface aeration vessel. Environ. Technol. 2001;22:1055–1068. doi: 10.1080/09593332208618215. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

30. Moucha T., Linek V., Prokopov E. Gas hold-up, mixing time and gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient of various multiple-impeller configurations: Rushton turbine, pitched blade and techmix impeller and their combinations. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2003;58:1839–1846. doi: 10.1016/S0009-2509(02)00682-6. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

31. Szekely J. Flow phenomena, mixing and mass transfer in argon-stirred ladles. Ironmak. Steelmak. 1979;6:285–293. [Google Scholar]

32. Iguchi M., Nakamura K., Tsujino R. Mixing time and fluid flow phenomena in liquids of varying kinematic viscosities agitated by bottom gas injection. Metall. Mat. Trans. 1998;29:569–575. doi: 10.1007/s11663-998-0091-1. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

33. Hjelle O., Engh T.A., Rasch B. Removal of Sodium from Aluminiummagnesium Alloys by Purging with Cl₂. Aluminium-Verlag GmbH; Dusseldorf, Germany: 1985. pp. 343–360. [Google Scholar]

34. Zhang L., Taniguchi S. Fundamentals of inclusion removal from liquid steel by bubble flotation. Int. Mat. Rev. 2000;45:59–82. doi: 10.1179/095066000101528313. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

원문 보기

Figure 4.24 - Model with virtual valves in the extremities of the geometries to simulate the permeability of the mold promoting a more uniformed filling

Optimization of filling systems for low pressure by Flow-3D

Dissertação de Mestrado
Ciclo de Estudos Integrados Conducentes ao
Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica
Trabalho efectuado sob a orientação do
Doutor Hélder de Jesus Fernades Puga
Professor Doutor José Joaquim Carneiro Barbosa

ABSTRACT

논문의 일부로 튜터 선택 가능성과 해결해야 할 주제가 설정되는 매개변수를 염두에 두고 개발 주제 ‘Flow- 3D ®에 의한 저압 충전 시스템 최적화’가 선택되었습니다. 이를 위해서는 달성해야 할 목표와 이를 달성하기 위한 방법을 정의하는 것이 필요했습니다.

충전 시스템을 시뮬레이션하고 검증할 수 있는 광범위한 소프트웨어에도 불구하고 Flow-3D®는 시장에서 최고의 도구 중 하나로 표시되어 전체 충전 프로세스 및 행동 표현과 관련하여 탁월한 정확도로 시뮬레이션하는 능력을 입증했습니다.

이를 위해 관련 프로세스를 더 잘 이해하고 충진 시스템 시뮬레이션을 위한 탐색적 기반 역할을 하기 위해 이 도구를 탐색하는 것이 중요합니다. 지연 및 재료 낭비에 반영되는 실제적인 측면에서 충전 장치의 치수를 완벽하게 만드는 비용 및 시간 낭비. 이러한 방식으로 저압 주조 공정에서 충진 시스템을 설계하고 물리적 모델을 탐색하여 특성화하는 방법론을 검증하기 위한 것입니다.

이를 위해 다음 주요 단계를 고려하십시오.

시뮬레이션 소프트웨어 Flow 3D® 탐색;
충전 시스템 모델링;
모델의 매개변수를 탐색하여 모델링된 시스템의 시뮬레이션, 검증 및 최적화.

따라서 연구 중인 압력 곡선과 주조 분석에서 가장 관련성이 높은 정보의 최종 마이닝을 검증하기 위한 것입니다.

사용된 압력 곡선은 수집된 문헌과 이전에 수행된 실제 작업을 통해 얻었습니다. 결과를 통해 3단계 압력 곡선이 층류 충진 체계의 의도된 목적과 관련 속도가 0.5 𝑚/𝑠를 초과하지 않는다는 결론을 내릴 수 있었습니다.

충전 수준이 2인 압력 곡선은 0.5 𝑚/𝑠 이상의 속도로 영역을 채우는 더 난류 시스템을 갖습니다. 열전달 매개변수는 이전에 얻은 값이 주물에 대한 소산 거동을 확증하지 않았기 때문에 연구되었습니다.

이러한 방식으로 주조 공정에 더 부합하는 새로운 가치를 얻었습니다. 달성된 결과는 유사한 것으로 나타난 NovaFlow & Solid®에 의해 생성된 결과와 비교되어 시뮬레이션에서 설정된 매개변수를 검증했습니다. Flow 3D®는 주조 부품 시뮬레이션을 위한 강력한 도구로 입증되었습니다.

As part of the dissertation and bearing in mind the parameters in which the possibility of a choice of tutor and the subject to be addressed is established, the subject for development ’Optimization of filling systems for low pressure by Flow 3D ®’ was chosen. For this it was necessary to define the objectives to achieve and the methods to attain them. Despite the wide range of software able to simulate and validate filling systems, Flow 3D® has been shown as one of the best tools in the market, demonstrating its ability to simulate with distinctive accuracy with respect to the entire process of filling and the behavioral representation of the fluid obtained. To this end, it is important to explore this tool for a better understanding of the processes involved and to serve as an exploratory basis for the simulation of filling systems, simulation being one of the great strengths of the current industry due to the need to reduce costs and time waste, in practical terms, that lead to the perfecting of the dimensioning of filling devices, which are reflected in delays and wasted material. In this way it is intended to validate the methodology to design a filling system in lowpressure casting process, exploring their physical models and thus allowing for its characterization. For this, consider the following main phases: The exploration of the simulation software Flow 3D®; modeling of filling systems; simulation, validation and optimization of systems modeled by exploring the parameters of the models. Therefore, it is intended to validate the pressure curves under study and the eventual mining of the most relevant information in a casting analysis. The pressure curves that were used were obtained through the gathered literature and the practical work previously performed. Through the results it was possible to conclude that the pressure curve with 3 levels meets the intended purpose of a laminar filling regime and associated speeds never exceeding 0.5 𝑚/𝑠. The pressure curve with 2 filling levels has a more turbulent system, having filling areas with velocities above 0.5 𝑚/𝑠. The heat transfer parameter was studied due to the values previously obtained didn’t corroborate the behavior of dissipation regarding to the casting. In this way, new values, more in tune with the casting process, were obtained. The achieved results were compared with those generated by NovaFlow & Solid®, which were shown to be similar, validating the parameters established in the simulations. Flow 3D® was proven a powerful tool for the simulation of casting parts.

키워드

저압, Flow 3D®, 시뮬레이션, 파운드리, 압력-시간 관계,Low Pressure, Flow 3D®, Simulation, Foundry, Pressure-time relation

Figure 4.39 - Values of temperature contours using full energy heat transfer parameter for simula — Figure 4.39 – Values of temperature contours using full energy heat transfer parameter for simula

Figure 4.40 – Comparison between software simulations (a) Flow 3D® simulation,
(b) NovaFlow & Solid® simulation — Figure 4.40 – Comparison between software simulations (a) Flow 3D® simulation, (b) NovaFlow & Solid® simulation

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] E. Stanley and D. B. Sc, “Fluid Flow Aspects of Solidification Modelling : Simulation
of Low Pressure Die Casting .”
[2] Y. Sahin, “Computer aided foundry die-design,” Metallography, vol. 24, no. 8, pp.
671–679, 2003.
[3] F. Bonollo, J. Urban, B. Bonatto, and M. Botter, “Gravity and low pressure die casting
of aluminium alloys : a technical and economical benchmark,” La Metall. Ital., vol. 97,
no. 6, pp. 23–32, 2005.
[4] P. a and R. R, “Study of the effect of process parameters on the production of a nonsimmetric low pressure die casting part,” La Metall. Ital., pp. 57–63, 2009.
[5] “Fundição em baixa pressão | Aluinfo.” [Online]. Available:
http://www.aluinfo.com.br/novo/materiais/fundicao-em-baixa-pressao. [Accessed: 18-
Sep-2015].
[6] “Low Pressure Sand Casting by Wolverine Bronze.” [Online]. Available:
http://www.wolverinebronze.com/low-pressure-sand-casting.php. [Accessed: 18-Sep2015].
[7] A. Reikher, “Numerical Analysis of Die-Casting Process in Thin Cavities Using
Lubrication Approximation,” no. December, 2012.
[8] P. Fu, A. a. Luo, H. Jiang, L. Peng, Y. Yu, C. Zhai, and A. K. Sachdev, “Low-pressure
die casting of magnesium alloy AM50: Response to process parameters,” J. Mater.
Process. Technol., vol. 205, no. 1–3, pp. 224–234, 2008.
[9] X. Li, Q. Hao, W. Jie, and Y. Zhou, “Development of pressure control system in
counter gravity casting for large thin-walled A357 aluminum alloy components,”
Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 847–851, 2008.
[10] J. a. Hines, “Determination of interfacial heat-transfer boundary conditions in an
aluminum low-pressure permanent mold test casting,” Metall. Mater. Trans. B, vol. 35,
no. 2, pp. 299–311, 2004.
[11] A. Lima, A. Freitas, and P. Magalhães, “Processos de vazamento em moldações
permanentes,” pp. 40–49, 2003.
[12] Y. B. Choi, K. Matsugi, G. Sasaki, K. Arita, and O. Yanagisawa, “Analysis of
Manufacturing Processes for Metal Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Alloy Composite
Fabricated by Low-Pressure Casting,” Mater. Trans., vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 1227–1231,
68
2006.
[13] G. Mi, X. Liu, K. Wang, and H. Fu, “Numerical simulation of low pressure die-casting
aluminum wheel,” China Foundry, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 48–52, 2009.
[14] J. Kuo, F. Hsu, and W. Hwang, “ADVANCED Development of an interactive
simulation system for the determination of the pressure ± time relationship during the
® lling in a low pressure casting process,” vol. 2, pp. 131–145, 2001.
[15] S.-G. Liu, F.-Y. Cao, X.-Y. Zhao, Y.-D. Jia, Z.-L. Ning, and J.-F. Sun, “Characteristics
of mold filling and entrainment of oxide film in low pressure casting of A356 alloy,”
Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 626, pp. 159–164, 2015.
[16] “Casting Training Class – Lecture 10 – Solidification and Shrinkage-Casting.” FLOW3D®.
[17] “UAB Casting Engineering Laboratory.” [Online]. Available:
file:///C:/Users/Jos%C3%A9 Belo/Desktop/Artigo_Software/UAB Casting
Engineering Laboratory.htm. [Accessed: 09-Nov-2015].
[18] A. Louvo, “Casting Simulation as a Tool in Concurrent Engineering,” pp. 1–12, 1997.
[19] T. R. Vijayaram and P. Piccardo, “Computers in Foundries,” vol. 30, 2012.
[20] M. Sadaiah, D. R. Yadav, P. V. Mohanram, and P. Radhakrishnan, “A generative
computer-aided process planning system for prismatic components,” Int. J. Adv.
Manuf. Technol., vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 709–719, 2002.
[21] Ministry_of_Planning, “Digital Data,” vol. 67, pp. 1–6, 2004.
[22] S. Shamasundar, D. Ramachandran, and N. S. Shrinivasan, “COMPUTER
SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS OF INVESTMENTCASTING PROCESS.”
[23] J. M. Siqueira and G. Motors, “Simulation applied to Aluminum High Pressure Die
Casting,” pp. 1–5, 1998.
[24] C. Fluid, COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS. Abdulnaser Sayma & Ventus
Publishing ApS, 2009.
[25] C. a. Felippa, “1 – Overview,” Adv. Finite Elem. Methods, pp. 1–9.
[26] a. Meena and M. El Mansori, “Correlative thermal methodology for castability
simulation of ductile iron in ADI production,” J. Mater. Process. Technol., vol. 212,
no. 11, pp. 2484–2495, 2012.
[27] T. R. Vijayaram, S. Sulaiman, a. M. S. Hamouda, and M. H. M. Ahmad, “Numerical
simulation of casting solidification in permanent metallic molds,” J. Mater. Process.
69
Technol., vol. 178, pp. 29–33, 2006.
[28] “General CFD FAQ — CFD-Wiki, the free CFD reference.” [Online]. Available:
http://www.cfd-online.com/Wiki/General_CFD_FAQ. [Accessed: 10-Nov-2015].
[29] “FEM | FEA | CFD.” [Online]. Available: http://fem4analyze.blogspot.pt/. [Accessed:
09-Nov-2015].
[30] “Fundição; revista da Associação portuguesa de fundição,” Fundição, vol. N
o
227.
[31] “Casting Training Class – Lecture 1 – Introduction_to_FLOW-3D – Casting.” FLOW3D®.
[32] F. Science, “FLOW-3D Cast Documentation,” no. 3.5, p. 80, 2012.
[33] “Casting Training Class – Lecture 4 – Geometry Building – General.” FLOW-3D®.
[34] F. Science, “FLOW-3D v11.0.3 User Manual,” pp. 1–132, 2015.
[35] “Casting Training Class – Lecture 5 Meshing Concept – General.” FLOW-3D®.
[36] “Casting Training Class – Lecture 6 – Boundary_Conditions – Casting.” FLOW-3D®.
[37] “Casting Training Class – Lecture 9 – Physical Models-castings.” FLOW-3D®.
[38] P. A. D. Jácome, M. C. Landim, A. Garcia, A. F. Furtado, and I. L. Ferreira, “The
application of computational thermodynamics and a numerical model for the
determination of surface tension and Gibbs–Thomson coefficient of aluminum based
alloys,” Thermochim. Acta, vol. 523, no. 1–2, pp. 142–149, 2011.
[39] J. P. Anson, R. A. L. Drew, and J. E. Gruzleski, “The surface tension of molten
aluminum and Al-Si-Mg alloy under vacuum and hydrogen atmospheres,” Metall.
Mater. Trans. B Process Metall. Mater. Process. Sci., vol. 30, no. 6, pp. XVI–1032,
1999.

원문 보기

3D Flow and Temperature Analysis of Filling a Plutonium Mold

플루토늄 주형 충전의 3D 유동 및 온도 분석

Authors: Orenstein, Nicholas P. [1]

Publication Date:2013-07-24
Research Org.: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.: DOE/LANL
OSTI Identifier: 1088904
Report Number(s): LA-UR-13-25537
DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type: Technical Report
Country of Publication: United States
Language: English
Subject: Engineering(42); Materials Science(36); Radiation Chemistry, Radiochemistry, & Nuclear Chemistry(38)

Introduction

The plutonium foundry at Los Alamos National Laboratory casts products for various special nuclear applications. However, plutonium’s radioactivity, material properties, and security constraints complicate the ability to perform experimental analysis of mold behavior. The Manufacturing Engineering and Technologies (MET-2) group previously developed a graphite mold to vacuum cast small plutonium disks to be used by the Department of Homeland Security as point sources for radiation sensor testing.

A two-stage pouring basin consisting of a funnel and an angled cavity directs the liquid into a vertical runner. A stack of ten disk castings connect to the runner by horizontal gates. Volumetric flow rates were implemented to limit overflow into the funnel and minimize foundry returns. Models using Flow-3D computational fluid dynamics software are employed here to determine liquid Pu flow paths, optimal pour regimes, temperature changes, and pressure variations.

Setup

Hardcopy drawings provided necessary information to create 3D .stl models for import into Flow-3D (Figs. 1 and 2). The mesh was refined over several iterations to isolate the disk cavities, runner, angled cavity, funnel, and input pour. The final flow and mold-filling simulation utilizes a fine mesh with ~5.5 million total cells. For the temperature study, the mesh contained 1/8 as many cells to reduce computational time and set temperatures to 850 °C for the molten plutonium and 500 °C for the solid graphite mold components (Fig. 3).

Flow-3D solves mass continuity and Navier-Stokes momentum equations over the structured rectangular grid model using finite difference and finite volume numerical algorithms. The solver includes terms in the momentum equation for body and viscous accelerations and uses convective heat transfer.

Simulation settings enabled Flow-3D physics calculations for gravity at 980.665 cm/s 2 in the negative Z direction (top of mold to bottom); viscous, turbulent, incompressible flow using dynamically-computed Renormalized Group Model turbulence calculations and no-slip/partial slip wall shear, and; first order, full energy equation heat transfer.

Mesh boundaries were all set to symmetric boundary conditions except for the Zmin boundary set to outflow and the Zmax boundary set to a volume flow. Vacuum casting conditions and the high reactivity of remaining air molecules with Pu validate the assumption of an initially fluidless void.

Results

The flow follows a unique three-dimensional path. The mold fills upwards with two to three disks receiving fluid in a staggered sequence. Figures 5-9 show how the fluid fills the cavity, and Figure 7 includes the color scale for pressure levels in these four figures. The narrow gate causes a high pressure region which forces the fluid to flow down the cavity centerline.

It proceeds to splash against the far wall and then wrap around the circumference back to the gate (Figs. 5 and 6). Flow in the angled region of the pouring basin cascades over the bottom ledge and attaches to the far wall of the runner, as seen in Figure 7.

This channeling becomes less pronounced as fluid volume levels increase. Finally, two similar but non-uniform depressed regions form about the centerline. These regions fill from their perimeter and bottom until completion (Fig. 8). Such a pattern is counter, for example, to a steady scenario in which a circle of molten Pu encompassing the entire bottom surface rises as a growing cylinder.

Cavity pressure becomes uniform when the cavity is full. Pressure levels build in the rising well section of the runner, where impurities were found to settle in actual casting. Early test simulations optimized the flow as three pours so that the fluid would never overflow to the funnel, the cavities would all fill completely, and small amounts of fluid would remain as foundry returns in the angled cavity.

These rates and durations were translated to the single 2.7s pour at 100 cm 3 per second used here. Figure 9 shows anomalous pressure fluctuations which occurred as the cavities became completely filled. Multiple simulations exhibited a rapid change in pressure from positive to negative and back within the newly-full disk and surrounding, already-full disks.

The time required to completely fill each cavity is plotted in Figure 10. Results show negligible temperature change within the molten Pu during mold filling and, as seen in Figure 11, at fill completion.

Figure 5: Bottom cavity filling
from runner — Figure 5: Bottom cavity filling from runner

Figure 8: Edge detection of cavity fill geometry. Two similar depressed areas form
about the centerline. Top cavity shown; same pressure scale as other figures — Figure 8: Edge detection of cavity fill geometry. Two similar depressed areas form about the centerline. Top cavity shown; same pressure scale as other figures

Figure 10: Cavity fill times,from first fluid contact with pouring basin, Figure 11:Fluid temperature remains essentially constant

Conclusions

Non-uniform cavity filling could cause crystal microstructure irregularities during solidification. However, the small temperature changes seen – due to large differences in specific heat between Pu and graphite – over a relatively short time make such problems unlikely in this case.

In the actual casting, cooling required approximately ten minutes. This large difference in time scales further reduces the chance for temperature effects in such a superheated scenario. Pouring basin emptying decreases pressure at the gate which extends fill time of the top two cavities.

The bottom cavity takes longer to fill because fluid must first enter the runner and fill the well. Fill times continue linearly until the top two cavities. The anomalous pressure fluctuations may be due to physical attempts by the system to reach equilibrium, but they are more likely due to numerical errors in the Flow3D solver.

Unsuccessful tests were performed to remove them by halving fluid viscosity. The fine mesh reduced, but did not eliminate, the extent of the fluctuations. Future work is planned to study induction and heat transfer in the full Pu furnace system, including quantifying temporal lag of the cavity void temperature to the mold wall temperature during pre-heat and comparing heat flux levels between furnace components during cool-down.

Thanks to Doug Kautz for the opportunity to work with MET-2 and for assigning an interesting unclassified project. Additional thanks to Mike Bange for CFD guidance, insight of the project’s history, and draft review.

원본 보기

Development of macro-defect-free PBF-EB-processed Ti–6Al–4V alloys with superior plasticity using PREP-synthesized powder and machine learning-assisted process optimization

Yunwei Gui^abKenta Aoyagi^bAkihiko Chiba^b
^aDepartment of Materials Processing, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan
^bInstitute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan

Received 14 October 2022, Revised 23 December 2022, Accepted 3 January 2023, Available online 5 January 2023.Show lessAdd to MendeleyShareCite

Abstract

The elimination of internal macro-defects is a key issue in Ti–6Al–4V alloys fabricated via powder bed fusion using electron beams (PBF-EB), wherein internal macro-defects mainly originate from the virgin powder and inappropriate printing parameters. This study compares different types powders by combining support vector machine techniques to determine the most suitable powder for PBF-EB and to predict the processing window for the printing parameters without internal macro-defects. The results show that powders fabricated via plasma rotating electrode process have the best sphericity, flowability, and minimal porosity and are most suitable for printing. Surface roughness criterion was also applied to determine the quality of the even surfaces, and support vector machine was used to construct processing maps capable of predicting a wide range of four-dimensional printing parameters to obtain macro-defect-free samples, offering the possibility of subsequent development of Ti–6Al–4V alloys with excellent properties. The macro-defect-free samples exhibited good elongation, with the best overall mechanical properties being the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of 934.7 MPa and 24.3%, respectively. The elongation of the three macro-defect-free samples was much higher than that previously reported for additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V alloys. The high elongation of the samples in this work is mainly attributed to the elimination of internal macro-defects.

Introduction

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies can rapidly manufacture complex or custom parts, reducing process steps and saving manufacturing time [[1], [2], [3], [4]], and are widely used in the aerospace, automotive, and other precision industries [5,6]. Powder bed fusion using an electron beam (PBF-EB) is an additive manufacturing method that uses a high-energy electron beam to melt metal powders layer by layer to produce parts. In contrast to selective laser melting, PBF-EB involves the preparation of samples in a high vacuum environment, which effectively prevents the introduction of impurities such as O and N. It also involves a preheating process for the print substrate and powder, which reduces residual thermal stress on the sample and subsequent heat treatment processes [[2], [3], [4],7]. Due to these features and advantages, PBF-EB technology is a very important AM technology with great potential in metallic materials. Moreover, PBF-EB is the ideal AM technology for the manufacture of complex components made of many alloys, such as titanium alloys, nickel-based superalloys, aluminum alloys and stainless steels [[2], [3], [4],8].

Ti–6Al–4V alloy is one of the prevalent commercial titanium alloys possessing high specific strength, excellent mechanical properties, excellent corrosion resistance, and good biocompatibility [9,10]. It is widely used in applications requiring low density and excellent corrosion resistance, such as the aerospace industry and biomechanical applications [11,12]. The mechanical properties of PBF-EB-processed Ti–6Al–4V alloys are superior to those fabricated by casting or forging, because the rapid cooling rate in PBF-EB results in finer grains [[12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]]. However, the PBF-EB-fabricated parts often include internal macro-defects, which compromises their mechanical properties [[19], [20], [21], [22]]. This study focused on the elimination of macro-defects, such as porosity, lack of fusion, incomplete penetration and unmelted powders, which distinguishes them from micro-defects such as vacancies, dislocations, grain boundaries and secondary phases, etc. Large-sized fusion defects cause a severe reduction in mechanical strength. Smaller defects, such as pores and cracks, lead to the initiation of fatigue cracking and rapidly accelerate the cracking process [23]. The issue of internal macro-defects must be addressed to expand the application of the PBF-EB technology. The main studies for controlling internal macro-defects are online monitoring of defects, remelting and hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The literatures [24,25] report the use of infrared imaging or other imaging techniques to identify defects, but the monitoring of smaller sized defects is still not adequate. And in some cases remelting does not reduce the internal macro-defects of the part, but instead causes coarsening of the macrostructure and volatilization of some metal elements [23]. The HIP treatment does not completely eliminate the internal macro-defects, the original defect location may still act as a point of origin of the crack, and the subsequent treatment will consume more time and economic costs [23]. Therefore, optimizing suitable printing parameters to avoid internal macro-defects in printed parts at source is of great industrial value and research significance, and is an urgent issue in PBF-EB related technology.

There are two causes of internal macro-defects in the AM process: gas pores trapped in the virgin powder and the inappropriate printing parameters [7,23]. Gui et al. [26] classify internal macro-defects during PBF-EB process according to their shape, such as spherical defects, elongated shape defects, flat shape defects and other irregular shape defects. Of these, spherical defects mainly originate from raw material powders. Other shape defects mainly originate from lack of fusion or unmelted powders caused by unsuitable printing parameters, etc. The PBF-EB process requires powders with good flowability, and spherical powders are typically chosen as raw materials. The prevalent techniques for the fabrication of pre-alloyed powders are gas atomization (GA), plasma atomization (PA), and the plasma rotating electrode process (PREP) [27,28]. These methods yield powders with different characteristics that affect the subsequent fabrication. The selection of a suitable powder for PBF-EB is particularly important to produce Ti–6Al–4V alloys without internal macro-defects. The need to optimize several printing parameters such as beam current, scan speed, line offset, and focus offset make it difficult to eliminate internal macro-defects that occur during printing [23]. Most of the studies [11,12,22,[29], [30], [31], [32], [33]] on the optimization of AM processes for Ti–6Al–4V alloys have focused on samples with a limited set of parameters (e.g., power–scan speed) and do not allow for the guidance and development of unknown process windows for macro-defect-free samples. In addition, process optimization remains a time-consuming problem, with the traditional ‘trial and error’ method demanding considerable time and economic costs. The development of a simple and efficient method to predict the processing window for alloys without internal macro-defects is a key issue. In recent years, machine learning techniques have increasingly been used in the field of additive manufacturing and materials development [[34], [35], [36], [37]]. Aoyagi et al. [38] recently proposed a novel and efficient method based on a support vector machine (SVM) to optimize the two-dimensional process parameters (current and scan speed) and obtain PBF-EB-processed CoCr alloys without internal macro-defects. The method is one of the potential approaches toward effective optimization of more than two process parameters and makes it possible for the machine learning techniques to accelerate the development of alloys without internal macro-defects.

Herein, we focus on the elimination of internal macro-defects, such as pores, lack of fusion, etc., caused by raw powders and printing parameters. The Ti–6Al–4V powders produced by three different methods were compared, and the powder with the best sphericity, flowability, and minimal porosity was selected as the feedstock for subsequent printing. The relationship between the surface roughness and internal macro-defects in the Ti–6Al–4V components was also investigated. The combination of SVM and surface roughness indices (Sdr) predicted a wider four-dimensional processing window for obtaining Ti–6Al–4V alloys without internal macro-defects. Finally, we investigated the tensile properties of Ti–6Al–4V alloys at room temperature with different printing parameters, as well as the corresponding microstructures and fracture types.

Section snippets

Starting materials

Three types of Ti–6Al–4V alloy powders, produced by GA, PA, and PREP, were compared. The particle size distribution of the powders was determined using a laser particle size analyzer (LS230, Beckman Coulter, USA), and the flowability was measured using a Hall flowmeter (JIS-Z2502, Tsutsui Scientific Instruments Co., Ltd., Japan), according to the ASTM B213 standard. The powder morphology and internal macro-defects were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM, JEOL JCM-6000) and X-ray

Comparison of the characteristics of GA, PA, and PREP Ti–6Al–4V powders

The particle size distributions (PSDs) and flowability of the three types of Ti–6Al–4V alloy powders produced by GA, PA, and PREP are shown in Fig. 2. Although the average particle sizes are similar (89.4 μm for GA, 82.5 μm for PA, and 86.1μm for PREP), the particle size range is different for the three types of powder (6.2–174.8 μm for GA, 27.3–139.2 μm for PA, and 39.4–133.9 μm for PREP). The flowability of the GA, PA, and PREP powders was 30.25 ± 0.98, 26.54 ± 0.37, and 25.03 ± 0.22 (s/50

Conclusions

The characteristics of the three types of Ti–6Al–4V alloy powders produced via GA, PA, and PREP were compared. The PREP powder with the best sphericity, flowability, and low porosity was found to be the most favorable powder for subsequent printing of Ti–6Al–4V alloys without internal macro-defects. The quantitative criterion of Sdr <0.015 for even surfaces was also found to be applicable to Ti–6Al–4V alloys. The process maps of Ti–6Al–4V alloys include two regions, high beam current/scan speed

Uncited references

[55]; [56]; [57]; [58]; [59]; [60]; [61]; [62]; [63]; [64]; [65].

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Yunwei Gui: Writing – original draft, Visualization, Validation, Investigation. Kenta Aoyagi: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Resources, Methodology, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization. Akihiko Chiba: Supervision, Funding acquisition.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgments

This study was based on the results obtained from project JPNP19007, commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). This work was also supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Proposal No. 21K03801) and the Inter-University Cooperative Research Program (Proposal nos. 18G0418, 19G0411, and 20G0418) of the Cooperative Research and Development Center for Advanced Materials, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University. It was also supported by the Council for

References (65)

P. Edwards et al.Fatigue performance evaluation of selective laser melted Ti-6Al-4VMater. Sci. Eng.(2014)
S. Leuders et al.On the mechanical behaviour of titanium alloy TiAl6V4 manufactured by selective laser melting: fatigue resistance and crack growth performanceInt. J. Fatig.(2013)
D.A. Hollander et al.Structural, mechanical and in vitro characterization of individually structured Ti-6Al-4V produced by direct laser formingBiomaterials(2006)
B.E. Carroll et al.Anisotropic tensile behavior of Ti-6Al-4V components fabricated with directed energy deposition additive manufacturingActa Mater.(2015)
Y. Zhai et al.Microstructure, static properties, and fatigue crack growth mechanisms in Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by additive manufacturing: LENS and EBMEng. Fail. Anal.(2016)
S.L. Lu et al.Massive transformation in Ti-6Al-4V additively manufactured by selective electron beam meltingActa Mater.(2016)
Y. Zhao et al.Manipulating local heat accumulation towards controlled quality and microstructure of a Co-Cr-Mo alloy in powder bed fusion with electron beamMater. Lett.(2019)
X. Huang et al.Indefinite kernels in least squares support vector machines and principal component analysisAppl. Comput. Harmon. Anal.(2017)
Y. Cui et al.Effects of plasma rotating electrode process parameters on the particle size distribution and microstructure of Ti-6Al-4 V alloy powderPowder Technol.(2020)
Y. Zhao et al.Molten pool behavior and effect of fluid flow on solidification conditions in selective electron beam melting (SEBM) of a biomedical Co-Cr-Mo alloyAddit. Manuf.(2019)

View more references

Cited by (0)

Computer Simulation of Centrifugal Casting Process using FLOW-3D

Aneesh Kumar J1, a, K. Krishnakumar1, b and S. Savithri2, c 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 2 Computational Modelling& Simulation Division, Process Engineering & Environmental Technology Division CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science & Technology
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
a aneesh82kj@gmail.com, b kkk@cet.ac.in, c sivakumarsavi@gmail.com, ssavithri@niist.res.in Key words: Mold filling, centrifugal casting process, computer simulation, FLOW- 3D™

Abstract

원심 주조 공정은 기능적으로 등급이 지정된 재료, 즉 구성 요소 간에 밀도 차이가 큰 복합 재료 또는 금속 재료를 생산하는 데 사용되는 잠재적인 제조 기술 중 하나입니다. 이 공정에서 유체 흐름이 중요한 역할을 하며 복잡한 흐름 공정을 이해하는 것은 결함 없는 주물을 생산하는 데 필수입니다. 금형이 고속으로 회전하고 금형 벽이 불투명하기 때문에 흐름 패턴을 실시간으로 시각화하는 것은 불가능합니다. 따라서 현재 연구에서는 상용 CFD 코드 FLOW-3D™를 사용하여 수직 원심 주조 공정 중 단순 중공 원통형 주조에 대한 금형 충전 시퀀스를 시뮬레이션했습니다. 수직 원심주조 공정 중 다양한 방사 속도가 충전 패턴에 미치는 영향을 조사하고 있습니다.

Centrifugal casting process is one of the potential manufacturing techniques used for producing functionally graded materials viz., composite materials or metallic materials which have high differences of density among constituents. In this process, the fluid flow plays a major role and understanding the complex flow process is a must for the production of defect-free castings. Since the mold spins at a high velocity and the mold wall being opaque, it is impossible to visualise the flow patterns in real time. Hence, in the present work, the commercial CFD code FLOW-3D™, has been used to simulate the mold filling sequence for a simple hollow cylindrical casting during vertical centrifugal casting process. Effect of various spinning velocities on the fill pattern during vertical centrifugal casting process is being investigated.

Figure 1: (a) Mold geometry and (b) Computational mesh

Figure 2: Experimental data on height of
vertex formed [8] / Figure 3: Vertex height as a function of time — Figure 2: Experimental data on height of vertex formed [8]/Figure 3: Vertex height as a function of time

Figure 4: Free surface contours for water model at 10 s, 15 s and 20 s.

Figure 5: 3D & 2D views of simulated fill sequence of a hollow cylinder at 1000 rpm and 1500 rpm at various time intervals during filling.

References

[1] W. Shi-Ping, L. Chang-yun, G. Jing-jie, S. Yan-qing, L. Xiu-qiao, F. Heng-zhi, Numerical simulation and
experimental investigation of two filling methods in vertical centrifugal casting, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc.
China 16 (2006) 1035-1040.
10.1016/s1003-6326(06)60373-7
[2] G. Chirita, D. Soares, F.S. Silva, Advantages of the centrifugal casting technique for the production of
structural components with Al-Si alloys, Mater. Des. 29 (2008) 20-27.
10.1016/j.matdes.2006.12.011
[3] A. Kermanpur, Sh. Mahmoudi, A. Hajipour, Numerical simulation of metal flow and solidification in the
multi-cavity casting moulds of automotive components, J. Mater. Proc. Tech. 206 (208) 62-68.
10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.12.004
[4] D. McBride et. al. Complex free surface flows in centrifugal casting: Computational modelling and
validation experiments, Computers & Fluids 82 (2013) 63-72.
10.1016/j.compfluid.2013.04.021

영국 Dawlish의 방파제에 대한 온대 저기압 피해: 목격자 설명, 해수면 분석 및 수치 모델링

Extratropical cyclone damage to the seawall in Dawlish, UK: eyewitness accounts, sea level analysis and numerical modelling

Natural Hazards (2022)Cite this article

152 Accesses
3 Altmetric
Metricsdetails

Abstract

2014년 2월 영국 해협(영국)과 특히 Dawlish에 영향을 미친 온대 저기압 폭풍 사슬은 남서부 지역과 영국의 나머지 지역을 연결하는 주요 철도에 심각한 피해를 입혔습니다.

이 사건으로 라인이 두 달 동안 폐쇄되어 5천만 파운드의 피해와 12억 파운드의 경제적 손실이 발생했습니다. 이 연구에서는 폭풍의 파괴력을 해독하기 위해 목격자 계정을 수집하고 해수면 데이터를 분석하며 수치 모델링을 수행합니다.

우리의 분석에 따르면 이벤트의 재난 관리는 성공적이고 효율적이었으며 폭풍 전과 도중에 인명과 재산을 구하기 위해 즉각적인 조치를 취했습니다. 파도 부이 분석에 따르면 주기가 4–8, 8–12 및 20–25초인 복잡한 삼중 봉우리 바다 상태가 존재하는 반면, 조위계 기록에 따르면 최대 0.8m의 상당한 파도와 최대 1.5m의 파도 성분이 나타났습니다.

이벤트에서 가능한 기여 요인으로 결합된 진폭. 최대 286 KN의 상당한 임펄스 파동이 손상의 시작 원인일 가능성이 가장 높았습니다. 수직 벽의 반사는 파동 진폭의 보강 간섭을 일으켜 파고가 증가하고 최대 16.1m3/s/m(벽의 미터 너비당)의 상당한 오버탑핑을 초래했습니다.

이 정보와 우리의 공학적 판단을 통해 우리는 이 사고 동안 다중 위험 계단식 실패의 가장 가능성 있는 순서는 다음과 같다고 결론을 내립니다. 조적 파괴로 이어지는 파도 충격력, 충전물 손실 및 연속적인 조수에 따른 구조물 파괴.

The February 2014 extratropical cyclonic storm chain, which impacted the English Channel (UK) and Dawlish in particular, caused significant damage to the main railway connecting the south-west region to the rest of the UK. The incident caused the line to be closed for two months, £50 million of damage and an estimated £1.2bn of economic loss. In this study, we collate eyewitness accounts, analyse sea level data and conduct numerical modelling in order to decipher the destructive forces of the storm. Our analysis reveals that the disaster management of the event was successful and efficient with immediate actions taken to save lives and property before and during the storm. Wave buoy analysis showed that a complex triple peak sea state with periods at 4–8, 8–12 and 20–25 s was present, while tide gauge records indicated that significant surge of up to 0.8 m and wave components of up to 1.5 m amplitude combined as likely contributing factors in the event. Significant impulsive wave force of up to 286 KN was the most likely initiating cause of the damage. Reflections off the vertical wall caused constructive interference of the wave amplitudes that led to increased wave height and significant overtopping of up to 16.1 m³/s/m (per metre width of wall). With this information and our engineering judgement, we conclude that the most probable sequence of multi-hazard cascading failure during this incident was: wave impact force leading to masonry failure, loss of infill and failure of the structure following successive tides.

Introduction

The progress of climate change and increasing sea levels has started to have wide ranging effects on critical engineering infrastructure (Shakou et al. 2019). The meteorological effects of increased atmospheric instability linked to warming seas mean we may be experiencing more frequent extreme storm events and more frequent series or chains of events, as well as an increase in the force of these events, a phenomenon called storminess (Mölter et al. 2016; Feser et al. 2014). Features of more extreme weather events in extratropical latitudes (30°–60°, north and south of the equator) include increased gusting winds, more frequent storm squalls, increased prolonged precipitation and rapid changes in atmospheric pressure and more frequent and significant storm surges (Dacre and Pinto 2020). A recent example of these events impacting the UK with simultaneous significant damage to coastal infrastructure was the extratropical cyclonic storm chain of winter 2013/2014 (Masselink et al. 2016; Adams and Heidarzadeh 2021). The cluster of storms had a profound effect on both coastal and inland infrastructure, bringing widespread flooding events and large insurance claims (RMS 2014).

The extreme storms of February 2014, which had a catastrophic effect on the seawall of the south Devon stretch of the UK’s south-west mainline, caused a two-month closure of the line and significant disruption to the local and regional economy (Fig. 1b) (Network Rail 2014; Dawson et al. 2016; Adams and Heidarzadeh 2021). Restoration costs were £35 m, and economic effects to the south-west region of England were estimated up to £1.2bn (Peninsula Rail Taskforce 2016). Adams and Heidarzadeh (2021) investigated the disparate cascading failure mechanisms which played a part in the failure of the railway through Dawlish and attempted to put these in the context of the historical records of infrastructure damage on the line. Subsequent severe storms in 2016 in the region have continued to cause damage and disruption to the line in the years since 2014 (Met Office 2016). Following the events of 2014, Network Rail ^Footnote1 who owns the network has undertaken a resilience study. As a result, it has proposed a £400 m refurbishment of the civil engineering assets that support the railway (Fig. 1) (Network Rail 2014). The new seawall structure (Fig. 1a,c), which is constructed of pre-cast concrete sections, encases the existing Brunel seawall (named after the project lead engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel) and has been improved with piled reinforced concrete foundations. It is now over 2 m taller to increase the available crest freeboard and incorporates wave return features to minimise wave overtopping. The project aims to increase both the resilience of the assets to extreme weather events as well as maintain or improve amenity value of the coastline for residents and visitors.

In this work, we return to the Brunel seawall and the damage it sustained during the 2014 storms which affected the assets on the evening of the 4th and daytime of the 5th of February and eventually resulted in a prolonged closure of the line. The motivation for this research is to analyse and model the damage made to the seawall and explain the damage mechanisms in order to improve the resilience of many similar coastal structures in the UK and worldwide. The innovation of this work is the multidisciplinary approach that we take comprising a combination of analysis of eyewitness accounts (social science), sea level and wave data analysis (physical science) as well as numerical modelling and engineering judgement (engineering sciences). We investigate the contemporary wave climate and sea levels by interrogating the real-time tide gauge and wave buoys installed along the south-west coast of the English Channel. We then model a typical masonry seawall (Fig. 2), applying the computational fluid dynamics package FLOW3D-Hydro,^Footnote2 to quantify the magnitude of impact forces that the seawall would have experienced leading to its failure. We triangulate this information to determine the probable sequence of failures that led to the disaster in 2014.

Data and methods

Our data comprise eyewitness accounts, sea level records from coastal tide gauges and offshore wave buoys as well as structural details of the seawall. As for methodology, we analyse eyewitness data, process and investigate sea level records through Fourier transform and conduct numerical simulations using the Flow3D-Hydro package (Flow Science 2022). Details of the data and methodology are provided in the following.

Eyewitness data

The scale of damage to the seawall and its effects led the local community to document the first-hand accounts of those most closely affected by the storms including residents, local businesses, emergency responders, politicians and engineering contractors involved in the post-storm restoration work. These records now form a permanent exhibition in the local museum in Dawlish^Footnote3, and some of these accounts have been transcribed into a DVD account of the disaster (Dawlish Museum 2015). We have gathered data from the Dawlish Museum, national and international news reports, social media tweets and videos. Table 1 provides a summary of the eyewitness accounts. Overall, 26 entries have been collected around the time of the incident. Our analysis of the eyewitness data is provided in the third column of Table 1 and is expanded in Sect. 3.Table 1 Eyewitness accounts of damage to the Dawlish railway due to the February 2014 storm and our interpretations

Full size table

Sea level data and wave environment

Our sea level data are a collection of three tide gauge stations (Newlyn, Devonport and Swanage Pier—Fig. 5a) owned and operated by the UK National Tide and Sea Level Facility^Footnote4 for the Environment Agency and four offshore wave buoys (Dawlish, West Bay, Torbay and Chesil Beach—Fig. 6a). The tide gauge sites are all fitted with POL-EKO (www.pol-eko.com.pl) data loggers. Newlyn has a Munro float gauge with one full tide and one mid-tide pneumatic bubbler system. Devonport has a three-channel data pneumatic bubbler system, and Swanage Pier consists of a pneumatic gauge. Each has a sampling interval of 15 min, except for Swanage Pier which has a sampling interval of 10 min. The tide gauges are located within the port areas, whereas the offshore wave buoys are situated approximately 2—3.3 km from the coast at water depths of 10–15 m. The wave buoys are all Datawell Wavemaker Mk III units^Footnote5 and come with sampling interval of 0.78 s. The buoys have a maximum saturation amplitude of 20.5 m for recording the incident waves which implies that every wave larger than this threshold will be recorded at 20.5 m. The data are provided by the British Oceanographic Data Centre^Footnote6 for tide gauges and the Channel Coastal Observatory^Footnote7 for wave buoys.

Sea level analysis

The sea level data underwent quality control to remove outliers and spikes as well as gaps in data (e.g. Heidarzadeh et al. 2022; Heidarzadeh and Satake 2015). We processed the time series of the sea level data using the Matlab signal processing tool (MathWorks 2018). For calculations of the tidal signals, we applied the tidal package TIDALFIT (Grinsted 2008), which is based on fitting tidal harmonics to the observed sea level data. To calculate the surge signals, we applied a 30-min moving average filter to the de-tided data in order to remove all wind, swell and infra-gravity waves from the time series. Based on the surge analysis and the variations of the surge component before the time period of the incident, an error margin of approximately ± 10 cm is identified for our surge analysis. Spectral analysis of the wave buoy data is performed using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) of Matlab package (Mathworks 2018).

Numerical modelling

Numerical modelling of wave-structure interaction is conducted using the computational fluid dynamics package Flow3D-Hydro version 1.1 (Flow Science 2022). Flow3D-Hydro solves the transient Navier–Stokes equations of conservation of mass and momentum using a finite difference method and on Eulerian and Lagrangian frameworks (Flow Science 2022). The aforementioned governing equations are:

∇.u=0∇.u=0

(1)

∂u∂t+u.∇u=−∇Pρ+υ∇2u+g∂u∂t+u.∇u=−∇Pρ+υ∇2u+g

(2)

where uu is the velocity vector, PP is the pressure, ρρ is the water density, υυ is the kinematic viscosity and gg is the gravitational acceleration. A Fractional Area/Volume Obstacle Representation (FAVOR) is adapted in Flow3D-Hydro, which applies solid boundaries within the Eulerian grid and calculates the fraction of areas and volume in partially blocked volume in order to compute flows on corresponding boundaries (Hirt and Nichols 1981). We validated the numerical modelling through comparing the results with Sainflou’s analytical equation for the design of vertical seawalls (Sainflou 1928; Ackhurst 2020), which is as follows:

pd=ρgHcoshk(d+z)coshkdcosσtpd=ρgHcoshk(d+z)coshkdcosσt

(3)

where pdpd is the hydrodynamic pressure, ρρ is the water density, gg is the gravitational acceleration, HH is the wave height, dd is the water depth, kk is the wavenumber, zz is the difference in still water level and mean water level, σσ is the angular frequency and tt is the time. The Sainflou’s equation (Eq. 3) is used to calculate the dynamic pressure from wave action, which is combined with static pressure on the seawall.

Using Flow3D-Hydro, a model of the Dawlish seawall was made with a computational domain which is 250.0 m in length, 15.0 m in height and 0.375 m in width (Fig. 3a). The computational domain was discretised using a single uniform grid with a mesh size of 0.125 m. The model has a wave boundary at the left side of the domain (x-min), an outflow boundary on the right side (x-max), a symmetry boundary at the bottom (z-min) and a wall boundary at the top (z-max). A wall boundary implies that water or waves are unable to pass through the boundary, whereas a symmetry boundary means that the two edges of the boundary are identical and therefore there is no flow through it. The water is considered incompressible in our model. For volume of fluid advection for the wave boundary (i.e. the left-side boundary) in our simulations, we utilised the “Split Lagrangian Method”, which guarantees the best accuracy (Flow Science, 2022).

The stability of the numerical scheme is controlled and maintained through checking the Courant number (CC) as given in the following:

C=VΔtΔxC=VΔtΔx

(4)

where VV is the velocity of the flow, ΔtΔt is the time step and ΔxΔx is the spatial step (i.e. grid size). For stability and convergence of the numerical simulations, the Courant number must be sufficiently below one (Courant et al. 1928). This is maintained by a careful adjustment of the ΔxΔx and ΔtΔt selections. Flow3D-Hydro applies a dynamic Courant number, meaning the program adjusts the value of time step (ΔtΔt) during the simulations to achieve a balance between accuracy of results and speed of simulation. In our simulation, the time step was in the range ΔtΔt = 0.0051—0.051 s.

In order to achieve the most efficient mesh resolution, we varied cell size for five values of ΔxΔx = 0.1 m, 0.125 m, 0.15 m, 0.175 m and 0.20 m. Simulations were performed for all mesh sizes, and the results were compared in terms of convergence, stability and speed of simulation (Fig. 3). A linear wave with an amplitude of 1.5 m and a period of 6 s was used for these optimisation simulations. We considered wave time histories at two gauges A and B and recorded the waves from simulations using different mesh sizes (Fig. 3). Although the results are close (Fig. 3), some limited deviations are observed for larger mesh sizes of 0.20 m and 0.175 m. We therefore selected mesh size of 0.125 m as the optimum, giving an extra safety margin as a conservative solution.

The pressure from the incident waves on the vertical wall is validated in our model by comparing them with the analytical equation of Sainflou (1928), Eq. (3), which is one of the most common set of equations for design of coastal structures (Fig. 4). The model was tested by running a linear wave of period 6 s and wave amplitude of 1.5 m against the wall, with a still water level of 4.5 m. It can be seen that the model results are very close to those from analytical equations of Sainflou (1928), indicating that our numerical model is accurately modelling the wave-structure interaction (Fig. 4).

Eyewitness account analysis

Contemporary reporting of the 4th and 5th February 2014 storms by the main national news outlets in the UK highlights the extreme nature of the events and the significant damage and disruption they were likely to have on the communities of the south-west of England. In interviews, this was reinforced by Network Rail engineers who, even at this early stage, were forecasting remedial engineering works to last for at least 6 weeks. One week later, following subsequent storms the cascading nature of the events was obvious. Multiple breaches of the seawall had taken place with up to 35 separate landslide events and significant damage to parapet walls along the coastal route also were reported. Residents of the area reported extreme effects of the storm, one likening it to an earthquake and reporting water ingress through doors windows and even through vertical chimneys (Table 1). This suggests extreme wave overtopping volumes and large wave impact forces. One resident described the structural effects as: “the house was jumping up and down on its footings”.

Disaster management plans were quickly and effectively put into action by the local council, police service and National Rail. A major incident was declared, and decisions regarding evacuation of the residents under threat were taken around 2100 h on the night of 4th February when reports of initial damage to the seawall were received (Table 1). Local hotels were asked to provide short-term refuge to residents while local leisure facilities were prepared to accept residents later that evening. Initial repair work to the railway line was hampered by successive high spring tides and storms in the following days although significant progress was still made when weather conditions permitted (Table 1).

Sea level observations and spectral analysis

The results of surge and wave analyses are presented in Figs. 5 and 6. A surge height of up to 0.8 m was recorded in the examined tide gauge stations (Fig. 5b-d). Two main episodes of high surge heights are identified: the first surge started on 3rd February 2014 at 03:00 (UTC) and lasted until 4th of February 2014 at 00:00; the second event occurred in the period 4th February 2014 15:00 to 5th February 2014 at 17:00 (Fig. 5b-d). These data imply surge durations of 21 h and 26 h for the first and the second events, respectively. Based on the surge data in Fig. 5, we note that the storm event of early February 2014 and the associated surges was a relatively powerful one, which impacted at least 230 km of the south coast of England, from Land’s End to Weymouth, with large surge heights.

Based on wave buoy records, the maximum recorded amplitudes are at least 20.5 m in Dawlish and West Bay, 1.9 m in Tor Bay and 4.9 m in Chesil (Fig. 6a-b). The buoys at Tor Bay and Chesil recorded dual peak period bands of 4–8 and 8–12 s, whereas at Dawlish and West Bay registered triple peak period bands at 4–8, 8–12 and 20–25 s (Fig. 6c, d). It is important to note that the long-period waves at 20–25 s occur with short durations (approximately 2 min) while the waves at the other two bands of 4–8 and 8–12 s appear to be present at all times during the storm event.

The wave component at the period band of 4–8 s can be most likely attributed to normal coastal waves while the one at 8–12 s, which is longer, is most likely the swell component of the storm. Regarding the third component of the waves with long period of 20 -25 s, which occurs with short durations of 2 min, there are two hypotheses; it is either the result of a local (port and harbour) and regional (the Lyme Bay) oscillations (eg. Rabinovich 1997; Heidarzadeh and Satake 2014; Wang et al. 1992), or due to an abnormally long swell. To test the first hypothesis, we consider various water bodies such as Lyme Bay (approximate dimensions of 70 km × 20 km with an average water depth of 30 m; Fig. 6), several local bays (approximate dimensions of 3.6 km × 0.6 km with an average water depth of 6 m) and harbours (approximate dimensions of 0.5 km × 0.5 km with an average water depth of 4 m). Their water depths are based on the online Marine navigation website.^Footnote8 According to Rabinovich (2010), the oscillation modes of a semi-enclosed rectangle basin are given by the following equation:

Tmn=2gd−−√[(m2L)2+(nW)2]−1/2Tmn=2gd[(m2L)2+(nW)2]−1/2

(5)

where TmnTmn is the oscillation period, gg is the gravitational acceleration, dd is the water depth, LL is the length of the basin, WW is the width of the basin, m=1,2,3,…m=1,2,3,… and n=0,1,2,3,…n=0,1,2,3,…; mm and nn are the counters of the different modes. Applying Eq. (5) to the aforementioned water bodies results in oscillation modes of at least 5 min, which is far longer than the observed period of 20–25 s. Therefore, we rule out the first hypothesis and infer that the long period of 20–25 s is most likely a long swell wave coming from distant sources. As discussed by Rabinovich (1997) and Wang et al. (2022), comparison between sea level spectra before and after the incident is a useful method to distinguish the spectrum of the weather event. A visual inspection of Fig. 6 reveals that the forcing at the period band of 20–25 s is non-existent before the incident.

Numerical simulations of wave loading and overtopping

Based on the results of sea level data analyses in the previous section (Fig. 6), we use a dual peak wave spectrum with peak periods of 10.0 s and 25.0 s for numerical simulations because such a wave would be comprised of the most energetic signals of the storm. For variations of water depth (2.0–4.0 m), coastal wave amplitude (0.5–1.5 m) (Fig. 7) and storm surge height (0.5–0.8 m) (Fig. 5), we developed 20 scenarios (Scn) which we used in numerical simulations (Table 2). Data during the incident indicated that water depth was up to the crest level of the seawall (approximately 4 m water depth); therefore, we varied water depth from 2 to 4 m in our simulation scenarios. Regarding wave amplitudes, we referred to the variations at a nearby tide gauge station (West Bay) which showed wave amplitude up to 1.2 m (Fig. 7). Therefore, wave amplitude was varied from 0.5 m to 1.5 m by considering a factor a safety of 25% for the maximum wave amplitude. As for the storm surge component, time series of storm surges calculated at three coastal stations adjacent to Dawlish showed that it was in the range of 0.5 m to 0.8 m (Fig. 5). These 20 scenarios would help to study uncertainties associated with wave amplitudes and pressures. Figure 8 shows snapshots of wave propagation and impacts on the seawall at different times.

Table 2 The 20 scenarios considered for numerical simulations in this study

Full size table

Results of wave amplitude simulations

Large wave amplitudes can induce significant wave forcing on the structure and cause overtopping of the seawall, which could eventually cascade to other hazards such as erosion of the backfill and scour (Adams and Heidarzadeh, 2021). The first 10 scenarios of our modelling efforts are for the same incident wave amplitudes of 0.5 m, which occur at different water depths (2.0–4.0 m) and storm surge heights (0.5–0.8 m) (Table 2 and Fig. 9). This is because we aim at studying the impacts of effective water depth (d_eff—the sum of mean sea level and surge height) on the time histories of wave amplitudes as the storm evolves. As seen in Fig. 9a, by decreasing effective water depth, wave amplitude increases. For example, for Scn-1 with effective depth of 4.5 m, the maximum amplitude of the first wave is 1.6 m, whereas it is 2.9 m for Scn-2 with effective depth of 3.5 m. However, due to intensive reflections and interferences of the waves in front of the vertical seawall, such a relationship is barely seen for the second and the third wave peaks. It is important to note that the later peaks (second or third) produce the largest waves rather than the first wave. Extraordinary wave amplifications are seen for the Scn-2 (d_eff = 3.5 m) and Scn-7 (d_eff = 3.3 m), where the corresponding wave amplitudes are 4.5 m and 3.7 m, respectively. This may indicate that the effective water depth of d_eff = 3.3–3.5 m is possibly a critical water depth for this structure resulting in maximum wave amplitudes under similar storms. In the second wave impact, the combined wave height (i.e. the wave amplitude plus the effective water depth), which is ultimately an indicator of wave overtopping, shows that the largest wave heights are generated by Scn-2, 7 and 8 (Fig. 9a) with effective water depths of 3.5 m, 3.3 m and 3.8 m and combined heights of 8.0 m, 7.0 m and 6.9 m (Fig. 9b). Since the height of seawall is 5.4 m, the combined wave heights for Scn-2, 7 and 8 are greater than the crest height of the seawall by 2.6 m, 1.6 m and 1.5 m, respectively, which indicates wave overtopping.

For scenarios 11–20 (Fig. 10), with incident wave amplitudes of 1.5 m (Table 2), the largest wave amplitudes are produced by Scn-17 (d_eff = 3.3 m), Scn-13 (d_eff = 2.5 m) and Scn-12 (d_eff = 3.5 m), which are 5.6 m, 5.1 m and 4.5 m. The maximum combined wave heights belong to Scn-11 (d_eff = 4.5 m) and Scn-17 (d_eff = 3.3 m), with combined wave heights of 9.0 m and 8.9 m (Fig. 10b), which are greater than the crest height of the seawall by 4.6 m and 3.5 m, respectively.

Our simulations for all 20 scenarios reveal that the first wave is not always the largest and wave interactions, reflections and interferences play major roles in amplifying the waves in front of the seawall. This is primarily because the wall is fully vertical and therefore has a reflection coefficient of close to one (i.e. full reflection). Simulations show that the combined wave height is up to 4.6 m higher than the crest height of the wall, implying that severe overtopping would be expected.

Results of wave loading calculations

The pressure calculations for scenarios 1–10 are given in Fig. 11 and those of scenarios 11–20 in Fig. 12. The total pressure distribution in Figs. 11, 12 mostly follows a triangular shape with maximum pressure at the seafloor as expected from the Sainflou (1928) design equations. These pressure plots comprise both static (due to mean sea level in front of the wall) and dynamic (combined effects of surge and wave) pressures. For incident wave amplitudes of 0.5 m (Fig. 11), the maximum wave pressure varies in the range of 35–63 kPa. At the sea surface, it is in the range of 4–20 kPa (Fig. 11). For some scenarios (Scn-2 and 7), the pressure distribution deviates from a triangular shape and shows larger pressures at the top, which is attributed to the wave impacts and partial breaking at the sea surface. This adds an additional triangle-shaped pressure distribution at the sea surface elevation consistent with the design procedure developed by Goda (2000) for braking waves. The maximum force on the seawall due to scenarios 1–10, which is calculated by integrating the maximum pressure distribution over the wave-facing surface of the seawall, is in the range of 92–190 KN (Table 2).

For scenarios 11–20, with incident wave amplitude of 1.5 m, wave pressures of 45–78 kPa and 7–120 kPa, for the bottom and top of the wall, respectively, were observed (Fig. 12). Most of the plots show a triangular pressure distribution, except for Scn-11 and 15. A significant increase in wave impact pressure is seen for Scn-15 at the top of the structure, where a maximum pressure of approximately 120 kPa is produced while other scenarios give a pressure of 7–32 kPa for the sea surface. In other words, the pressure from Scn-15 is approximately four times larger than the other scenarios. Such a significant increase of the pressure at the top is most likely attributed to the breaking wave impact loads as detailed by Goda (2000) and Cuomo et al. (2010). The wave simulation snapshots in Fig. 8 show that the wave breaks before reaching the wall. The maximum force due to scenarios 11–20 is 120–286 KN.

The breaking wave impacts peaking at 286 KN in our simulations suggest destabilisation of the upper masonry blocks, probably by grout malfunction. This significant impact force initiated the failure of the seawall which in turn caused extensive ballast erosion. Wave impact damage was proposed by Adams and Heidarzadeh (2021) as one of the primary mechanisms in the 2014 Dawlish disaster. In the multi-hazard risk model proposed by these authors, damage mechanism III (failure pathway 5 in Adams and Heidarzadeh, 2021) was characterised by wave impact force causing damage to the masonry elements, leading to failure of the upper sections of the seawall and loss of infill material. As blocks were removed, access to the track bed was increased for inbound waves allowing infill material from behind the seawall to be fluidised and subsequently removed by backwash. The loss of infill material critically compromised the stability of the seawall and directly led to structural failure. In parallel, significant wave overtopping (discussed in the next section) led to ballast washout and cascaded, in combination with masonry damage, to catastrophic failure of the wall and suspension of the rails in mid-air (Fig. 1b), leaving the railway inoperable for two months.

Wave Overtopping

The two most important factors contributing to the 2014 Dawlish railway catastrophe were wave impact forces and overtopping. Figure 13 gives the instantaneous overtopping rates for different scenarios, which experienced overtopping. It can be seen that the overtopping rates range from 0.5 m³/s/m to 16.1 m³/s/m (Fig. 13). Time histories of the wave overtopping rates show that the phenomenon occurs intermittently, and each time lasts 1.0–7.0 s. It is clear that the longer the overtopping time, the larger the volume of the water poured on the structure. The largest wave overtopping rates of 16.1 m³/s/m and 14.4 m³/s/m belong to Scn-20 and 11, respectively. These are the two scenarios that also give the largest combined wave heights (Fig. 10b).

The cumulative overtopping curves (Figs. 14, 15) show the total water volume overtopped the structure during the entire simulation time. This is an important hazard factor as it determines the level of soil saturation, water pore pressure in the soil and soil erosion (Van der Meer et al. 2018). The maximum volume belongs to Scn-20, which is 65.0 m³/m (m-cubed of water per metre length of the wall). The overtopping volumes are 42.7 m³/m for Scn-11 and 28.8 m³/m for Scn-19. The overtopping volume is in the range of 0.7–65.0 m³/m for all scenarios.

For comparison, we compare our modelling results with those estimated using empirical equations. For the case of the Dawlish seawall, we apply the equation proposed by Van Der Meer et al. (2018) to estimate wave overtopping rates, based on a set of decision criteria which are the influence of foreshore, vertical wall, possible breaking waves and low freeboard:

qgH3m−−−−√=0.0155(Hmhs)12e(−2.2RcHm)qgHm3=0.0155(Hmhs)12e(−2.2RcHm)

(6)

where qq is the mean overtopping rate per metre length of the seawall (m³/s/m), gg is the acceleration due to gravity, HmHm is the incident wave height at the toe of the structure, RcRc is the wall crest height above mean sea level, hshs is the deep-water significant wave height and e(x)e(x) is the exponential function. It is noted that Eq. (6) is valid for 0.1<RcHm<1.350.1<RcHm<1.35. For the case of the Dawlish seawall and considering the scenarios with larger incident wave amplitude of 1.5 m (hshs= 1.5 m), the incident wave height at the toe of the structure is HmHm = 2.2—5.6 m, and the wall crest height above mean sea level is RcRc = 0.6–2.9 m. As a result, Eq. (6) gives mean overtopping rates up to approximately 2.9 m³/s/m. A visual inspection of simulated overtopping rates in Fig. 13 for Scn 11–20 shows that the mean value of the simulated overtopping rates (Fig. 13) is close to estimates using Eq. (6).

Discussion and conclusions

We applied a combination of eyewitness account analysis, sea level data analysis and numerical modelling in combination with our engineering judgement to explain the damage to the Dawlish railway seawall in February 2014. Main findings are:

Eyewitness data analysis showed that the extreme nature of the event was well forecasted in the hours prior to the storm impact; however, the magnitude of the risks to the structures was not well understood. Multiple hazards were activated simultaneously, and the effects cascaded to amplify the damage. Disaster management was effective, exemplified by the establishment of an emergency rendezvous point and temporary evacuation centre during the storm, indicating a high level of hazard awareness and preparedness.
Based on sea level data analysis, we identified triple peak period bands at 4–8, 8–12 and 20–25 s in the sea level data. Storm surge heights and wave oscillations were up to 0.8 m and 1.5 m, respectively.
Based on the numerical simulations of 20 scenarios with different water depths, incident wave amplitudes, surge heights and peak periods, we found that the wave oscillations at the foot of the seawall result in multiple wave interactions and interferences. Consequently, large wave amplitudes, up to 4.6 m higher than the height of the seawall, were generated and overtopped the wall. Extreme impulsive wave impact forces of up to 286 KN were generated by the waves interacting with the seawall.
We measured maximum wave overtopping rates of 0.5–16.1 m³/s/m for our scenarios. The cumulative overtopping water volumes per metre length of the wall were 0.7–65.0 m³/m.
Analysis of all the evidence combined with our engineering judgement suggests that the most likely initiating cause of the failure was impulsive wave impact forces destabilising one or more grouted joints between adjacent masonry blocks in the wall. Maximum observed pressures of 286 KN in our simulations are four times greater in magnitude than background pressures leading to block removal and initiating failure. Therefore, the sequence of cascading events was :1) impulsive wave impact force causing damage to masonry, 2) failure of the upper sections of the seawall, 3) loss of infill resulting in a reduction of structural strength in the landward direction, 4) ballast washout as wave overtopping and inbound wave activity increased and 5) progressive structural failure following successive tides.

From a risk mitigation point of view, the stability of the seawall in the face of future energetic cyclonic storm events and sea level rise will become a critical factor in protecting the rail network. Mitigation efforts will involve significant infrastructure investment to strengthen the civil engineering assets combined with improved hazard warning systems consisting of meteorological forecasting and real-time wave observations and instrumentation. These efforts must take into account the amenity value of coastal railway infrastructure to local communities and the significant number of tourists who visit every year. In this regard, public awareness and active engagement in the planning and execution of the project will be crucial in order to secure local stakeholder support for the significant infrastructure project that will be required for future resilience.

Notes

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/..
https://www.flow3d.com/products/flow-3d-hydro/.
https://www.devonmuseums.net/Dawlish-Museum/Devon-Museums/.
https://ntslf.org/.
https://www.datawell.nl/Products/Buoys/DirectionalWaveriderMkIII.aspx.
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/.
https://coastalmonitoring.org/cco/.
https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@8&key=iactHlwfP.

References

Ackhurst M (2020) Design of Vertical Gravity Sea and Quay Walls. ICE Publishing, Westminster, London
Adams K, Heidarzadeh M (2021) A multi-hazard risk model with cascading failure pathways for the Dawlish (UK) railway using historical and contemporary data. Int J Disaster Risk Reduc 56:102082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102082 Article Google Scholar
BBC (2014a) Dawlish train battered by waves. Accessed 12 May 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-26076630
BBC (2014b) Dawlish storm victim: ‘Water coming through our windows’. Accessed 12 May 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-26056696
BBC (2014c) Devon and Cornwall storm: ‘Like living in a washing machine’. Accessed 12 May 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-26051900
Brunel Institute (2022) A collaboration between the University of Bristol and the SS Great Britain. DM162/8/1/3/GWR Sketchbook21/folio 10. Accessed on 22 Feb 2022. https://archives.bristol.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DM162%2f8%2f1%2f3%2fGWR+Sketchbook+21%2ffolio+10
Courant R, Friedrichs K, Lewy H (1928) Über die partiellen Differenzengleichungen der mathematischen Physik. Math Ann 100(1):32–74Article Google Scholar
Cuomo G, Allsop W, Bruce T, Pearson J (2010) Breaking wave loads at vertical seawalls and breakwaters. Coastal Eng 57(4):424–439Article Google Scholar
Dacre HF, Pinto JG (2020) Serial clustering of extratropical cyclones: a review of where, when and why it occurs. Clim Atmos Sci 3:48. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-020-00152-9 Article Google Scholar
Dawlish Museum (2015) Dawlish The Great Storm. Video collection, available on DVD at: https://www.devonmuseums.net/The-Great-Storm-DVD/Dawlish-Museum/View-Product/
Dawson D, Shaw J, Gehrels WR (2016) Sea-level rise impacts on transport infrastructure: the notorious case of the coastal railway line at Dawlish, England. J Transport Geog 51:97–109Article Google Scholar
Feser F, Barcikowska M, Krueger O, Schenk F, Weisse R, Xia L (2015) Storminess over the North Atlantic and northwestern Europe—A review. Quarter J R Meteorol Soc 141:350–382. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2364 Article Google Scholar
Flow Science (2022) FLOW3D-Hydro version 1.0.1.3. Accessed 12 Feb 2022. https://www.flow3d.com/products/flow-3d-hydro/
Goda Y (2000) Random seas and design of maritime structures, vol 33. World Scientific Publishing Company
Grinsted A (2008) Tidal fitting toolbox. Accessed 6 Feb 2022. https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/19099-tidal-fitting-toolbox?focused=3854016&tab=function&s_tid=gn_loc_drop
Heidarzadeh M, Satake K (2014) Excitation of basin-wide modes of the Pacific Ocean following the march 2011 Tohoku Tsunami. Pure Appl Geophys 171(12):3405–3419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-013-0731-5 Article Google Scholar
Heidarzadeh M, Satake K (2015) Source properties of the 1998 July 17 Papua New Guinea tsunami based on tide gauge records. Geophys J Int 202(1):361–369Article Google Scholar
Heidarzadeh M, Gusman A, Ishibe T, Sabeti R, Šepić J (2022) Estimating the eruption-induced water displacement source of the 15 January 2022 Tonga volcanic tsunami from tsunami spectra and numerical modelling. Ocean Eng 261:112165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.112165 Article Google Scholar
Hirt CW, Nichols BD (1981) Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free boundaries. J Comput Phys 39(1):201–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9991(81)90145-5 Article Google Scholar
Masselink G, Castelle B, Scott T, Dodet G, Suanez S, Jackson D, Floc’h F (2016) Extreme wave activity during 2013/2014 winter and morphological impacts along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Geophys Res Lett 43(5):2135–2143. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL067492 Article Google Scholar
Mathworks (2018) MATLAB, 2018. 9.7.0.1190202 (R2019b), Natick, Massachusetts: The MathWorks Inc.
Met Office (2016) Strong winds and flooding from storm Angus. November 2016. Accessed 4 Mar 2022. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/interesting/2016/strong-winds-and-flooding-from-storm-angus-november-2016—met-office.pdf,
Mölter T, Schindler D, Albrecht AT, Kohnle U (2016) Review on the projections of future storminess over the North Atlantic European Region. Atmosphere 7(4):60. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos7040060 Article Google Scholar
Network Rail (2014) West of Exeter Route Resilience Study. Accessed 4 May 2022. https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/West-of-Exeter-Route-Resilience-Study-1.pdf
Peninsula Rail Taskforce (2016) Closing the gap: The South West Peninsula strategic rail blueprint. Accessed 4 May 2022. https://peninsularailtaskforce.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/prtf-closing-the-gap.pdf
Rabinovich AB (1997) Spectral analysis of tsunami waves: Separation of source and topography effects. J Geophys Res Oceans 102(C6):12663–12676. https://doi.org/10.1029/97JC00479 Article Google Scholar
Rabinovich AB (2010) Seiches and harbor oscillations. In: Handbook of coastal and ocean engineering, pp 193–236
RMS (2014) RMS White Paper 2013–2014 Winter Storms in Europe: An insurance and catastrophe modelling perspective. Accessed 12 May 2022. https://forms2.rms.com/rs/729-DJX-565/images/ws_2013_2014_europe_winter_storms.pdf
Sainflou G (1928) Essai sur les digues maritimes verticales. Annales de ponts et chaussées, vol 98, tome II, 1928(4):5–48. (in French)
Shakou LM, Wybo JL, Reniers G, Boustras G (2019) Developing an innovative framework for enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure to climate change. Safety Sci 118:364–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.05.019 Article Google Scholar
Van der Meer JW, Allsop NWH, Bruce T, De Rouck J, Kortenhaus A, Pullen T, Schüttrumpf H, Troch P and Zanuttigh B (2018) EurOtop, Manual on wave overtopping of sea defences and related structures. An overtopping manual largely based on European research, but for worldwide application. Available online at: www.overtopping-manual.com.
Wang Y, Su HY, Ren Z, Ma Y (2022) Source properties and resonance characteristics of the tsunami generated by the 2021 M 8.2 Alaska earthquake. J Geophys Res Oceans, 127(3):e2021JC018308. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018308 Article Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Brunel University London for administering the scholarship awarded to KA. The Flow3D-Hydro used in this research for numerical modelling is licenced to Brunel University London through an academic programme contract. We sincerely thank Prof Harsh Gupta (Editor-in-Chief) and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive review comments.

Funding

This project was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through a PhD scholarship to Keith Adams.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UKKeith Adams
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UKMohammad Heidarzadeh

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keith Adams.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Availability of data

All data used in this study are provided in the body of the article.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Adams, K., Heidarzadeh, M. Extratropical cyclone damage to the seawall in Dawlish, UK: eyewitness accounts, sea level analysis and numerical modelling. Nat Hazards (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05692-2

Download citation

Received17 May 2022
Accepted17 October 2022
Published14 November 2022
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05692-2

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable link

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Keywords

Storm surge
Cyclone
Railway
Climate change
Infrastructure
Resilience

View Record in Scopus Google Scholar [4]

Fig. 1. (a) Dimensions of the casting with runners (unit: mm), (b) a melt flow simulation using Flow-3D software together with Reilly's model[44], predicted that a large amount of bifilms (denoted by the black particles) would be contained in the final casting. (c) A solidification simulation using Pro-cast software showed that no shrinkage defect was contained in the final casting.

AZ91 합금 주물 내 연행 결함에 대한 캐리어 가스의 영향

TianLi^abJ.M.T.Davies^aXiangzhenZhu^c
^aUniversity of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
^bGrainger and Worrall Ltd, Bridgnorth WV15 5HP, United Kingdom
^cBrunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology, Brunel University London, Kingston Ln, London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, United Kingdom

Abstract

An entrainment defect (also known as a double oxide film defect or bifilm) acts a void containing an entrapped gas when submerged into a light-alloy melt, thus reducing the quality and reproducibility of the final castings. Previous publications, carried out with Al-alloy castings, reported that this trapped gas could be subsequently consumed by the reaction with the surrounding melt, thus reducing the void volume and negative effect of entrainment defects. Compared with Al-alloys, the entrapped gas within Mg-alloy might be more efficiently consumed due to the relatively high reactivity of magnesium. However, research into the entrainment defects within Mg alloys has been significantly limited. In the present work, AZ91 alloy castings were produced under different carrier gas atmospheres (i.e., SF₆/CO₂, SF₆/air). The evolution processes of the entrainment defects contained in AZ91 alloy were suggested according to the microstructure inspections and thermodynamic calculations. The defects formed in the different atmospheres have a similar sandwich-like structure, but their oxide films contained different combinations of compounds. The use of carrier gases, which were associated with different entrained-gas consumption rates, affected the reproducibility of AZ91 castings.

연행 결함(이중 산화막 결함 또는 이중막이라고도 함)은 경합금 용융물에 잠길 때 갇힌 가스를 포함하는 공극으로 작용하여 최종 주물의 품질과 재현성을 저하시킵니다. Al-합금 주물을 사용하여 수행된 이전 간행물에서는 이 갇힌 가스가 주변 용융물과의 반응에 의해 후속적으로 소모되어 공극 부피와 연행 결함의 부정적인 영향을 줄일 수 있다고 보고했습니다. Al-합금에 비해 마그네슘의 상대적으로 높은 반응성으로 인해 Mg-합금 내에 포집된 가스가 더 효율적으로 소모될 수 있습니다. 그러나 Mg 합금 내 연행 결함에 대한 연구는 상당히 제한적이었습니다. 현재 작업에서 AZ91 합금 주물은 다양한 캐리어 가스 분위기(즉, SF6/CO2, SF6/공기)에서 생산되었습니다. AZ91 합금에 포함된 연행 결함의 진화 과정은 미세 조직 검사 및 열역학 계산에 따라 제안되었습니다. 서로 다른 분위기에서 형성된 결함은 유사한 샌드위치 구조를 갖지만 산화막에는 서로 다른 화합물 조합이 포함되어 있습니다. 다른 동반 가스 소비율과 관련된 운반 가스의 사용은 AZ91 주물의 재현성에 영향을 미쳤습니다.

Keywords

Magnesium alloy, Casting, Oxide film, Bifilm, Entrainment defect, Reproducibility

1. Introduction

As the lightest structural metal available on Earth, magnesium became one of the most attractive light metals over the last few decades. The magnesium industry has consequently experienced a rapid development in the last 20 years [1,2], indicating a large growth in demand for Mg alloys all over the world. Nowadays, the use of Mg alloys can be found in the fields of automobiles, aerospace, electronics and etc.[3,4]. It has been predicted that the global consumption of Mg metals will further increase in the future, especially in the automotive industry, as the energy efficiency requirement of both traditional and electric vehicles further push manufactures lightweight their design [3,5,6].

The sustained growth in demand for Mg alloys motivated a wide interest in the improvement of the quality and mechanical properties of Mg-alloy castings. During a Mg-alloy casting process, surface turbulence of the melt can lead to the entrapment of a doubled-over surface film containing a small quantity of the surrounding atmosphere, thus forming an entrainment defect (also known as a double oxide film defect or bifilm) [7], [8], [9], [10]. The random size, quantity, orientation, and placement of entrainment defects are widely accepted to be significant factors linked to the variation of casting properties [7]. In addition, Peng et al. [11] found that entrained oxides films in AZ91 alloy melt acted as filters to Al₈Mn₅ particles, trapping them as they settle. Mackie et al. [12] further suggested that entrained oxide films can act to trawl the intermetallic particles, causing them to cluster and form extremely large defects. The clustering of intermetallic compounds made the entrainment defects more detrimental for the casting properties.

Most of the previous studies regarding entrainment defects were carried out on Al-alloys [7,[13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], and a few potential methods have been suggested for diminishing their negative effect on the quality of Al-alloy castings. Nyahumwa et al.,[16] shows that the void volume within entrainment defects could be reduced by a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process. Campbell [7] suggested the entrained gas within the defects could be consumed due to reaction with the surrounding melt, which was further verified by Raiszedeh and Griffiths [19].The effect of the entrained gas consumption on the mechanical properties of Al-alloy castings has been investigated by [8,9], suggesting that the consumption of the entrained gas promoted the improvement of the casting reproducibility.

Compared with the investigation concerning the defects within Al-alloys, research into the entrainment defects within Mg-alloys has been significantly limited. The existence of entrainment defects has been demonstrated in Mg-alloy castings [20,21], but their behaviour, evolution, as well as entrained gas consumption are still not clear.

In a Mg-alloy casting process, the melt is usually protected by a cover gas to avoid magnesium ignition. The cavities of sand or investment moulds are accordingly required to be flushed with the cover gas prior to the melt pouring [22]. Therefore, the entrained gas within Mg-alloy castings should contain the cover gas used in the casting process, rather than air only, which may complicate the structure and evolution of the corresponding entrainment defects.

SF₆ is a typical cover gas widely used for Mg-alloy casting processes [23], [24], [25]. Although this cover gas has been restricted to use in European Mg-alloy foundries, a commercial report has pointed out that this cover is still popular in global Mg-alloy industry, especially in the countries which dominated the global Mg-alloy production, such as China, Brazil, India, etc. [26]. In addition, a survey in academic publications also showed that this cover gas was widely used in recent Mg-alloy studies [27]. The protective mechanism of SF₆ cover gas (i.e., the reaction between liquid Mg-alloy and SF₆ cover gas) has been investigated by several previous researchers, but the formation process of the surface oxide film is still not clearly understood, and even some published results are conflicting with each other. In early 1970s, Fruehling [28] found that the surface film formed under SF₆ was MgO mainly with traces of fluorides, and suggested that SF₆ was absorbed in the Mg-alloy surface film. Couling [29] further noticed that the absorbed SF₆ reacted with the Mg-alloy melt to form MgF₂. In last 20 years, different structures of the Mg-alloy surface films have been reported, as detailed below.(1)

Single-layered film. Cashion [30,31] used X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Spectroscopy (AES) to identify the surface film as MgO and MgF₂. He also found that composition of the film was constant throughout the thickness and the whole experimental holding time. The film observed by Cashion had a single-layered structure created from a holding time from 10 min to 100 min.(2)

Double-layered film. Aarstad et. al [32] reported a doubled-layered surface oxide film in 2003. They observed several well-distributed MgF₂ particles attached to the preliminary MgO film and grew until they covered 25–50% of the total surface area. The inward diffusion of F through the outer MgO film was the driving force for the evolution process. This double-layered structure was also supported by Xiong’s group [25,33] and Shih et al. [34].(3)

Triple-layered film. The triple-layered film and its evolution process were reported in 2002 by Pettersen [35]. Pettersen found that the initial surface film was a MgO phase and then gradually evolved to the stable MgF₂ phase by the inward diffusion of F. In the final stage, the film has a triple-layered structure with a thin O-rich interlayer between the thick top and bottom MgF₂ layers.(4)

Oxide film consisted of discrete particles. Wang et al [36] stirred the Mg-alloy surface film into the melt under a SF₆ cover gas, and then inspect the entrained surface film after the solidification. They found that the entrained surface films were not continues as the protective surface films reported by other researchers but composed of discrete particles. The young oxide film was composed of MgO nano-sized oxide particles, while the old oxide films consist of coarse particles (about 1 µm in average size) on one side that contained fluorides and nitrides.

The oxide films of a Mg-alloy melt surface or an entrained gas are both formed due to the reaction between liquid Mg-alloy and the cover gas, thus the above-mentioned research regarding the Mg-alloy surface film gives valuable insights into the evolution of entrainment defects. The protective mechanism of SF₆ cover gas (i.e., formation of a Mg-alloy surface film) therefore indicated a potential complicated evolution process of the corresponding entrainment defects.

However, it should be noted that the formation of a surface film on a Mg-alloy melt is in a different situation to the consumption of an entrained gas that is submerged into the melt. For example, a sufficient amount of cover gas was supported during the surface film formation in the studies previously mentioned, which suppressed the depletion of the cover gas. In contrast, the amount of entrained gas within a Mg-alloy melt is finite, and the entrained gas may become fully depleted. Mirak [37] introduced 3.5%SF₆/air bubbles into a pure Mg-alloy melt solidifying in a specially designed permanent mould. It was found that the gas bubbles were entirely consumed, and the corresponding oxide film was a mixture of MgO and MgF₂. However, the nucleation sites (such as the MgF₂ spots observed by Aarstad [32] and Xiong [25,33]) were not observed. Mirak also speculated that the MgF₂ formed prior to MgO in the oxide film based on the composition analysis, which was opposite to the surface film formation process reported in previous literatures (i.e., MgO formed prior to MgF₂). Mirak’s work indicated that the oxide-film formation of an entrained gas may be quite different from that of surface films, but he did not reveal the structure and evolution of the oxide films.

In addition, the use of carrier gas in the cover gases also influenced the reaction between the cover gas and the liquid Mg-alloy. SF₆/air required a higher content of SF₆ than did a SF₆/CO₂ carrier gas [38], to avoid the ignition of molten magnesium, revealing different gas-consumption rates. Liang et.al [39] suggested that carbon was formed in the surface film when CO₂ was used as a carrier gas, which was different from the films formed in SF₆/air. An investigation into Mg combustion [40] reported a detection of Mg₂C₃ in the Mg-alloy sample after burning in CO₂, which not only supported Liang’s results, but also indicated a potential formation of Mg carbides in double oxide film defects.

The work reported here is an investigation into the behaviour and evolution of entrainment defects formed in AZ91 Mg-alloy castings, protected by different cover gases (i.e., SF₆/air and SF₆/CO₂). These carrier gases have different protectability for liquid Mg alloy, which may be therefore associated with different consumption rates and evolution processes of the corresponding entrained gases. The effect of the entrained-gas consumption on the reproducibility of AZ91 castings was also studied.

2. Experiment

2.1. Melting and casting

Three kilograms AZ91 alloy was melted in a mild steel crucible at 700 ± 5 °C. The composition of the AZ91 alloy has been shown in Table 1. Prior to heating, all oxide scale on the ingot surface was removed by machining. The cover gases used were 0.5%SF₆/air or 0.5%SF₆/CO₂ (vol.%) at a flow rate of 6 L/min for different castings. The melt was degassed by argon with a flow rate of 0.3 L/min for 15 min [41,42], and then poured into sand moulds. Prior to pouring, the sand mould cavity was flushed with the cover gas for 20 min [22]. The residual melt (around 1 kg) was solidified in the crucible.

Table 1. Composition (wt.%) of the AZ91 alloy used in this study.

Al	Zn	Mn	Si	Fe	Ni	Mg
9.4	0.61	0.15	0.02	0.005	0.0017	Residual

Fig. 1(a) shows the dimensions of the casting with runners. A top-filling system was deliberately used to generate entrainment defects in the final castings. Green and Campbell [7,43] suggested that a top-filling system caused more entrainment events (i.e., bifilms) during a casting process, compared with a bottom-filling system. A melt flow simulation (Flow-3D software) of this mould, using Reilly’s model [44] regarding the entrainment events, also predicted that a large amount of bifilms would be contained in the final casting (denoted by the black particles in Fig. 1b).

Shrinkage defects also affect the mechanical properties and reproducibility of castings. Since this study focused on the effect of bifilms on the casting quality, the mould has been deliberately designed to avoid generating shrinkage defects. A solidification simulation using ProCAST software showed that no shrinkage defect would be contained in the final casting, as shown in Fig. 1c. The casting soundness has also been confirmed using a real time X-ray prior to the test bar machining.

The sand moulds were made from resin-bonded silica sand, containing 1wt. % PEPSET 5230 resin and 1wt. % PEPSET 5112 catalyst. The sand also contained 2 wt.% Na₂SiF₆ to act as an inhibitor [45]. The pouring temperature was 700 ± 5 °C. After the solidification, a section of the runner bars was sent to the Sci-Lab Analytical Ltd for a H-content analysis (LECO analysis), and all the H-content measurements were carried out on the 5th day after the casting process. Each of the castings was machined into 40 test bars for a tensile strength test, using a Zwick 1484 tensile test machine with a clip extensometer. The fracture surfaces of the broken test bars were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM, Philips JEOL7000) with an accelerating voltage of 5–15 kV. The fractured test bars, residual Mg-alloy solidified in the crucible, and the casting runners were then sectioned, polished and also inspected using the same SEM. The cross-section of the oxide film found on the test-bar fracture surface was exposed by the Focused Ion Beam milling technique (FIB), using a CFEI Quanta 3D FEG FIB-SEM. The oxide film required to be analysed was coated with a platinum layer. Then, a gallium ion beam, accelerated to 30 kV, milled the material substrate surrounding the platinum coated area to expose the cross section of the oxide film. EDS analysis of the oxide film’s cross section was carried out using the FIB equipment at accelerating voltage of 30 kV.

2.2. Oxidation cell

As previously mentioned, several past researchers investigated the protective film formed on a Mg-alloy melt surface [38,39,[46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [52]. During these experiments, the amount of cover gas used was sufficient, thus suppressing the depletion of fluorides in the cover gas. The experiment described in this section used a sealed oxidation cell, which limited the supply of cover gas, to study the evolution of the oxide films of entrainment defects. The cover gas contained in the oxidation cell was regarded as large-size “entrained bubble”.

As shown in Fig. 2, the main body of the oxidation cell was a closed-end mild steel tube which had an inner length of 400 mm, and an inner diameter of 32 mm. A water-cooled copper tube was wrapped around the upper section of the cell. When the tube was heated, the cooling system created a temperature difference between the upper and lower sections, causing the interior gas to convect within the tube. The temperature was monitored by a type-K thermocouple located at the top of the crucible. Nie et al. [53] suggested that the SF₆ cover gas would react with the steel wall of the holding furnace when they investigated the surface film of a Mg-alloy melt. To avoid this reaction, the interior surface of the steel oxidation cell (shown in Fig. 2) and the upper half section of the thermocouple were coated with boron nitride (the Mg-alloy was not in contact with boron nitride).

Fig. 2. Schematic of the oxidation cell used to study the evolution of the oxide films of the entrainment defects (unit mm).

During the experiment, a block of solid AZ91 alloy was placed in a magnesia crucible located at the bottom of the oxidation cell. The cell was heated to 100 °C in an electric resistance furnace under a gas flow rate of 1 L/min. The cell was held at this temperature for 20 min, to replace the original trapped atmosphere (i.e. air). Then, the oxidation cell was further heated to 700 °C, melting the AZ91 sample. The gas inlet and exit valves were then closed, creating a sealed environment for oxidation under a limited supply of cover gas. The oxidation cell was then held at 700 ± 10 °C for periods of time from 5 min to 30 min in 5-min intervals. At the end of each holding time, the cell was quenched in water. After cooling to room temperature, the oxidised sample was sectioned, polished, and subsequently examined by SEM.

3. Results

3.1. Structure and composition of the entrainment defects formed in SF₆/air

The structure and composition of the entrainment defect formed in the AZ91 castings under a cover gas of 0.5%SF₆/air was observed by SEM and EDS. The results indicate that there exist two types of entrainment defects which are sketched in Fig. 3: (1) Type A defect whose oxide film has a traditional single-layered structure and (2) Type B defect, whose oxide film has two layers. The details of these defects were introduced in the following. Here it should be noticed that, as the entrainment defects are also known as biofilms or double oxide film, the oxide films of Type B defect were referred to as “multi-layered oxide film” or “multi-layered structure” in the present work to avoid a confusing description such as “the double-layered oxide film of a double oxide film defect”.

Fig. 3. Schematic of the different types of entrainment defects found in AZ91 castings. (a) Type A defect with a single-layered oxide film and (b) Type B defect with two-layered oxide film.

Fig. 4(a-b) shows a Type A defect having a compact single-layered oxide film with about 0.4 µm thickness. Oxygen, fluorine, magnesium and aluminium were detected in this film (Fig. 4c). It is speculated that oxide film is the mixture of fluoride and oxide of magnesium and aluminium. The detection of fluorine revealed that an entrained cover gas was contained in the formation of this defect. That is to say that the pores shown in Fig. 4(a) were not shrinkage defects or hydrogen porosity, but entrainment defects. The detection of aluminium was different with Xiong and Wang’s previous study [47,48], which showed that no aluminium was contained in their surface film of an AZ91 melt protected by a SF₆ cover gas. Sulphur could not be clearly recognized in the element map, but there was a S-peak in the corresponding ESD spectrum.

Fig. 4. (a) A Type A entrainment defect formed in SF6/air and having a single-layered oxide film, (b) the oxide film of this defect, (c) SEM-EDS element maps (using Philips JEOL7000) corresponding to the area highlighted in (b).

Fig. 5(a-b) shows a Type B entrainment defect having a multi-layered oxide film. The compact outer layers of the oxide films were enriched with fluorine and oxygen (Fig. 5c), while their relatively porous inner layers were only enriched with oxygen (i.e., poor in fluorine) and partly grew together, thus forming a sandwich-like structure. Therefore, it is speculated that the outer layer is the mixture of fluoride and oxide, while the inner layer is mainly oxide. Sulphur could only be recognized in the EDX spectrum and could not be clearly identified in the element map, which might be due to the small S-content in the cover gas (i.e., 0.5% volume content of SF₆ in the cover gas). In this oxide film, aluminium was contained in the outer layer of this oxide film but could not be clearly detected in the inner layer. Moreover, the distribution of Al seems to be uneven. It can be found that, in the right side of the defect, aluminium exists in the film but its concentration can not be identified to be higher than the matrix. However, there is a small area with much higher aluminium concentration in the left side of the defect. Such an uneven distribution of aluminium was also observed in other defects (shown in the following), and it is the result of the formation of some oxide particles in or under the film.

Fig. 5. (a) A Type B entrainment defect formed in SF6/air and having a multi-layered oxide film, (b) the oxide films of this defect have grown together, (c) SEM-EDS element maps (using Philips JEOL7000) corresponding to the area shown in (b).

Figs. 4 and 5 show cross sectional observations of the entrainment defects formed in the AZ91 alloy sample cast under a cover gas of SF₆/air. It is not sufficient to characterize the entrainment defects only by the figures observed from the two-dimensional section. To have a further understanding, the surface of the entrainment defects (i.e. the oxide film) was further studied by observing the fracture surface of the test bars.

Fig. 6(a) shows fracture surfaces of an AZ91 alloy tensile test bar produced in SF₆/air. Symmetrical dark regions can be seen on both sides of the fracture surfaces. Fig. 6(b) shows boundaries between the dark and bright regions. The bright region consisted of jagged and broken features, while the surface of the dark region was relatively smooth and flat. In addition, the EDS results (Fig. 6c-d and Table 2) show that fluorine, oxygen, sulphur, and nitrogen were only detected in the dark regions, indicating that the dark regions were surface protective films entrained into the melt. Therefore, it could be suggested that the dark regions were an entrainment defect with consideration of their symmetrical nature. Similar defects on fracture surfaces of Al-alloy castings have been previously reported [7]. Nitrides were only found in the oxide films on the test-bar fracture surfaces but never detected in the cross-sectional samples shown in Figs. 4 and 5. An underlying reason is that the nitrides contained in these samples may have hydrolysed during the sample polishing process [54].

Fig. 6. (a) A pair of the fracture surfaces of a AZ91 alloy tensile test bar produced under a cover gas of SF6/air. The dimension of the fracture surface is 5 mm × 6 mm, (b) a section of the boundary between the dark and bright regions shown in (a), (c-d) EDS spectrum of the (c) bright regions and (d) dark regions, (e) schematic of an entrainment defect contained in a test bar.

Table 2. EDS results (wt.%) corresponding to the regions shown in Fig. 6 (cover gas: SF₆/air).

Empty Cell	C	O	Mg	F	Al	Zn	S	N
Dark region in Fig. 6(b)	3.48	1.32	79.13	0.47	13.63	0.57	0.08	0.73
Bright region in Fig. 6(b)	3.58	–	84.48	–	11.25	0.68	–	–

In conjunction with the cross-sectional observation of the defects shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the structure of an entrainment defect contained in a tensile test bar was sketched as shown in Fig. 6(e). The defect contained an entrained gas enclosed by its oxide film, creating a void section inside the test bar. When the tensile force applied on the defect during the fracture process, the crack was initiated at the void section and propagated along the entrainment defect, since cracks would be propagated along the weakest path [55]. Therefore, when the test bar was finally fractured, the oxide films of entrainment defect appeared on both fracture surfaces of the test bar, as shown in Fig. 6(a).

3.2. Structure and composition of the entrainment defects formed in SF₆/CO₂

Similar to the entrainment defect formed in SF₆/air, the defects formed under a cover gas of 0.5%SF₆/CO₂ also had two types of oxide films (i.e., single-layered and multi-layered types). Fig. 7(a) shows an example of the entrainment defects containing a multi-layered oxide film. A magnified observation to the defect (Fig. 7b) shows that the inner layers of the oxide films had grown together, presenting a sandwich-like structure, which was similar to the defects formed in an atmosphere of SF₆/air (Fig. 5b). An EDS spectrum (Fig. 7c) revealed that the joint area (inner layer) of this sandwich-like structure mainly contained magnesium oxides. Peaks of fluorine, sulphur, and aluminium were recognized in this EDS spectrum, but their amount was relatively small. In contrast, the outer layers of the oxide films were compact and composed of a mixture of fluorides and oxides (Fig. 7d-e).

Fig. 7. (a) An example of entrainment defects formed in SF6/CO2 and having a multi-layered oxide film, (b) magnified observation of the defect, showing the inner layer of the oxide films has grown together, (c) EDS spectrum of the point denoted in (b), (d) outer layer of the oxide film, (e) SEM-EDS element maps (using Philips JEOL7000) corresponding to the area shown in (d).

Fig. 8(a) shows an entrainment defect on the fracture surfaces of an AZ91 alloy tensile test bar, which was produced in an atmosphere of 0.5%SF₆/CO₂. The corresponding EDS results (Table 3) showed that oxide film contained fluorides and oxides. Sulphur and nitrogen were not detected. Besides, a magnified observation (Fig. 8b) indicated spots on the oxide film surface. The diameter of the spots ranged from hundreds of nanometres to a few micron meters.

Fig. 8. (a) A pair of the fracture surfaces of a AZ91 alloy tensile test bar, produced in an atmosphere of SF6/CO2. The dimension of the fracture surface is 5 mm × 6 mm, (b) surface appearance of the oxide films on the fracture surfaces, showing spots on the film surface.

To further reveal the structure and composition of the oxide film clearly, the cross-section of the oxide film on a test-bar fracture surface was onsite exposed using the FIB technique (Fig. 9). As shown in Fig. 9a, a continuous oxide film was found between the platinum coating layer and the Mg-Al alloy substrate. Fig. 9 (b-c) shows a magnified observation to oxide films, indicating a multi-layered structure (denoted by the red box in Fig. 9c). The bottom layer was enriched with fluorine and oxygen and should be the mixture of fluoride and oxide, which was similar to the “outer layer” shown in Figs. 5 and 7, while the only-oxygen-enriched top layer was similar to the “inner layer” shown in Figs. 5 and 7.

Fig. 9. (a) A cross-sectional observation of the oxide film on the fracture surface of the AZ91 casting produced in SF6/CO2, exposed by FIB, (b) a magnified observation of area highlighted in (a), and (c) SEM-EDS elements map of the area shown in (b), obtained by CFEI Quanta 3D FEG FIB-SEM.

Except the continuous film, some individual particles were also observed in or below the continuous film, as shown in Fig. 9. An Al-enriched particle was detected in the left side of the oxide film shown in Fig. 9b and might be speculated to be spinel Mg₂AlO₄ because it also contains abundant magnesium and oxygen elements. The existing of such Mg₂AlO₄ particles is responsible for the high concentration of aluminium in small areas of the observed film and the uneven distribution of aluminium, as shown in Fig. 5(c). Here it should be emphasized that, although the other part of the bottom layer of the continuous oxide film contains less aluminium than this Al-enriched particle, the Fig. 9c indicated that the amount of aluminium in this bottom layer was still non-negligible, especially when comparing with the outer layer of the film. Below the right side of the oxide film shown in Fig. 9b, a particle was detected and speculated to be MgO because it is rich in Mg and O. According to Wang’s result [56], lots of discrete MgO particles can be formed on the surface of the Mg melt by the oxidation of Mg melt and Mg vapor. The MgO particles observed in our present work may be formed due to the same reasons. While, due to the differences in experimental conditions, less Mg melt can be vapored or react with O₂, thus only a few of MgO particles formed in our work. An enrichment of carbon was also found in the film, revealing that CO₂ was able to react with the melt, thus forming carbon or carbides. This carbon concentration was consistent with the relatively high carbon content of the oxide film shown in Table 3 (i.e., the dark region). In the area next to the oxide film.

Table 3. EDS results (wt.%) corresponding to the regions shown in Fig. 8 (cover gas: SF₆/ CO₂).

Empty Cell	C	O	Mg	F	Al	Zn	S	N
Dark region in Fig. 8(a)	7.25	3.64	69.82	3.82	7.03	0.86	–	–
Bright region in Fig. 8(a)	2.10	0.44	82.83	–	13.26	1.36	–	–

This cross-sectional observation of the oxide film on a test bar fracture surface (Fig. 9) further verified the schematic of the entrainment defect shown in Fig. 6(e). The entrainment defects formed in different atmospheres of SF₆/CO₂ and SF₆/air had similar structures, but their compositions were different.

3.3. Evolution of the oxide films in the oxidation cell

The results in Section 3.1 and 3.2 have shown the structures and compositions of entrainment defects formed in AZ91 castings under cover gases of SF₆/air and SF₆/CO₂. Different stages of the oxidation reaction may lead to the different structures and compositions of entrainment defects. Although Campbell has conjectured that an entrained gas may react with the surrounding melt, it is rarely reported that the reaction occurring between the Mg-alloy melt and entrapped cover gas. Previous researchers normally focus on the reaction between a Mg-alloy melt and the cover gas in an open environment [38,39,[46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [52], which was different from the situation of a cover gas trapped into the melt. To further understand the formation of the entrainment defect in an AZ91 alloy, the evolution process of oxide films of the entrainment defect was further studied using an oxidation cell.

Fig. 10 (a and d) shows a surface film held for 5 min in the oxidation cell, protected by 0.5%SF₆/air. There was only one single layer consisting of fluoride and oxide (MgF₂ and MgO). In this surface film. Sulphur was detected in the EDS spectrum, but its amount was too small to be recognized in the element map. The structure and composition of this oxide film was similar to the single-layered films of entrainment defects shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 10. Oxide films formed in the oxidation cell under a cover gas of 0.5%SF6/air and held at 700 °C for (a) 5 min; (b) 10 min; (c) 30 min, and (d-f) the SEM-EDS element maps (using Philips JEOL7000) corresponding to the oxide film shown in (a-c) respectively, (d) 5 min; (e) 10 min; (f) 30 min. The red points in (c and f) are the location references, denoting the boundary of the F-enriched layer in different element maps.

After a holding time of 10 min, a thin (O, S)-enriched top layer (around 700 nm) appeared upon the preliminary F-enriched film, forming a multi-layered structure, as shown in Fig. 10(b and e). The thickness of the (O, S)-enriched top layer increased with increased holding time. As shown in Fig. 10(c and f), the oxide film held for 30 min also had a multi-layered structure, but the thickness of its (O, S)-enriched top layer (around 2.5 µm) was higher than the that of the 10-min oxide film. The multi-layered oxide films shown in Fig. 10(b-c) presented a similar appearance to the films of the sandwich-like defect shown in Fig. 5.

The different structures of the oxide films shown in Fig. 10 indicated that fluorides in the cover gas would be preferentially consumed due to the reaction with the AZ91 alloy melt. After the depletion of fluorides, the residual cover gas reacted further with the liquid AZ91 alloy, forming the top (O, S)-enriched layer in the oxide film. Therefore, the different structures and compositions of entrainment defects shown in Figs. 4 and 5 may be due to an ongoing oxidation reaction between melt and entrapped cover gas.

This multi-layered structure has not been reported in previous publications concerning the protective surface film formed on a Mg-alloy melt [38,[46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51]. This may be due to the fact that previous researchers carried out their experiments with an un-limited amount of cover gas, creating a situation where the fluorides in the cover gas were not able to become depleted. Therefore, the oxide film of an entrainment defect had behaviour traits similar to the oxide films shown in Fig. 10, but different from the oxide films formed on the Mg-alloy melt surface reported in [38,[46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51].

Similar with the oxide films held in SF₆/air, the oxide films formed in SF₆/CO₂ also had different structures with different holding times in the oxidation cell. Fig. 11(a) shows an oxide film, held on an AZ91 melt surface under a cover gas of 0.5%SF₆/CO₂ for 5 min. This film had a single-layered structure consisting of MgF₂. The existence of MgO could not be confirmed in this film. After the holding time of 30 min, the film had a multi-layered structure; the inner layer was of a compact and uniform appearance and composed of MgF₂, while the outer layer is the mixture of MgF₂ and MgO. Sulphur was not detected in this film, which was different from the surface film formed in 0.5%SF₆/air. Therefore, fluorides in the cover gas of 0.5%SF₆/CO₂ were also preferentially consumed at an early stage of the film growth process. Compared with the film formed in SF₆/air, the MgO in film formed in SF₆/CO₂ appeared later and sulphide did not appear within 30 min. It may mean that the formation and evolution of film in SF₆/air is faster than SF₆/CO_2. CO₂ may have subsequently reacted with the melt to form MgO, while sulphur-containing compounds accumulated in the cover gas and reacted to form sulphide in very late stage (may after 30 min in oxidation cell).

Fig. 11. Oxide films formed in the oxidation cell under a cover gas of 0.5%SF6/CO2, and their SEM-EDS element maps (using Philips JEOL7000). They were held at 700 °C for (a) 5 min; (b) 30 min. The red points in (b) are the location references, denoting the boundary between the top and bottom layers in the oxide film.

4. Discussion

4.1. Evolution of entrainment defects formed in SF₆/air

HSC software from Outokumpu HSC Chemistry for Windows (http://www.hsc-chemistry.net/) was used to carry out thermodynamic calculations needed to explore the reactions which might occur between the trapped gases and liquid AZ91 alloy. The solutions to the calculations suggest which products are most likely to form in the reaction process between a small amount of cover gas (i.e., the amount within a trapped bubble) and the AZ91-alloy melt.

In the trials, the pressure was set to 1 atm, and the temperature set to 700 °C. The amount of the cover gas was assumed to be 7 × 10⁻⁷ kg, with a volume of approximately 0.57 cm³ (3.14 × 10⁻⁸ kmol) for 0.5%SF₆/air, and 0.35 cm³ (3.12 × 10⁻⁸ kmol) for 0.5%SF₆/CO₂. The amount of the AZ91 alloy melt in contact with the trapped gas was assumed to be sufficient to complete all reactions. The decomposition products of SF₆ were SF₅, SF₄, SF₃, SF₂, F₂, S(g), S₂(g) and F(g) [57], [58], [59], [60].

Fig. 12 shows the equilibrium diagram of the thermodynamic calculation of the reaction between the AZ91 alloy and 0.5%SF₆/air. In the diagram, the reactants and products with less than 10⁻¹⁵ kmol have not been shown, as this was 5 orders of magnitude less than the amount of SF₆ present (≈ 1.57 × 10⁻¹⁰ kmol) and therefore would not affect the observed process in a practical way.

Fig. 12. An equilibrium diagram for the reaction between 7e-7 kg 0.5%SF6/air and a sufficient amount of AZ91 alloy. The X axis is the amount of AZ91 alloy melt having reacted with the entrained gas, and the vertical Y-axis is the amount of the reactants and products.

This reaction process could be divided into 3 stages.

Stage 1: The formation of fluorides. the AZ91 melt preferentially reacted with SF₆ and its decomposition products, producing MgF₂, AlF₃, and ZnF₂. However, the amount of ZnF₂ may have been too small to be detected practically (1.25 × 10⁻¹² kmol of ZnF₂ compared with 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ kmol of MgF₂), which may be the reason why Zn was not detected in any the oxide films shown in Sections 3.1–3.3. Meanwhile, sulphur accumulated in the residual gas as SO₂.

Stage 2: The formation of oxides. After the liquid AZ91 alloy had depleted all the available fluorides in the entrapped gas, the amount of AlF₃ and ZnF₂ quickly reduced due to a reaction with Mg. O₂(g) and SO₂ reacted with the AZ91 melt, forming MgO, Al₂O₃, MgAl₂O₄, ZnO, ZnSO₄ and MgSO₄. However, the amount of ZnO and ZnSO₄ would have been too small to be found practically by EDS (e.g. 9.5 × 10⁻¹² kmol of ZnO,1.38 × 10⁻¹⁴ kmol of ZnSO₄, in contrast to 4.68 × 10⁻¹⁰ kmol of MgF₂, when the amount of AZ91 on the X-axis is 2.5 × 10⁻⁹ kmol). In the experimental cases, the concentration of F in the cover gas is very low, whole the concentration f O is much higher. Therefore, the stage 1 and 2, i.e, the formation of fluoride and oxide may happen simultaneously at the beginning of the reaction, resulting in the formation of a singer-layered mixture of fluoride and oxide, as shown in Figs. 4 and 10(a). While an inner layer consisted of oxides but fluorides could form after the complete depletion of F element in the cover gas.

Stages 1- 2 theoretically verified the formation process of the multi-layered structure shown in Fig. 10.

The amount of MgAl₂O₄ and Al₂O₃ in the oxide film was of a sufficient amount to be detected, which was consistent with the oxide films shown in Fig. 4. However, the existence of aluminium could not be recognized in the oxide films grown in the oxidation cell, as shown in Fig. 10. This absence of Al may be due to the following reactions between the surface film and AZ91 alloy melt:(1)

Al₂O₃ + 3Mg + = 3MgO + 2Al, △G(700 °C) = -119.82 kJ/mol(2)

Mg + MgAl₂O₄ = MgO + Al, △G(700 °C) =-106.34 kJ/molwhich could not be simulated by the HSC software since the thermodynamic calculation was carried out under an assumption that the reactants were in full contact with each other. However, in a practical process, the AZ91 melt and the cover gas would not be able to be in contact with each other completely, due to the existence of the protective surface film.

Stage 3: The formation of Sulphide and nitride. After a holding time of 30 min, the gas-phase fluorides and oxides in the oxidation cell had become depleted, allowing the melt reaction with the residual gas, forming an additional sulphur-enriched layer upon the initial F-enriched or (F, O)-enriched surface film, thus resulting in the observed multi-layered structure shown in Fig. 10 (b and c). Besides, nitrogen reacted with the AZ91 melt until all reactions were completed. The oxide film shown in Fig. 6 may correspond to this reaction stage due to its nitride content. However, the results shows that the nitrides were not detected in the polished samples shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but only found on the test bar fracture surfaces. The nitrides may have hydrolysed during the sample preparation process, as follows [54]:(3)

Mg₃N₂ + 6H₂O =3Mg(OH)₂ + 2NH₃↑(4)

AlN+ 3H₂O =Al(OH)₃ + NH₃↑

In addition, Schmidt et al. [61] found that Mg₃N₂ and AlN could react to form ternary nitrides (Mg₃Al_nN_n+2, n= 1, 2, 3…). HSC software did not contain the database of ternary nitrides, and it could not be added into the calculation. The oxide films in this stage may also contain ternary nitrides.

4.2. Evolution of entrainment defects formed in SF₆/CO₂

Fig. 13 shows the results of the thermodynamic calculation between AZ91 alloy and 0.5%SF₆/CO₂. This reaction processes can also be divided into three stages.

Fig. 13. An equilibrium diagram for the reaction between 7e-7 kg 0.5%SF6/CO2 and a sufficient amount of AZ91 alloy. The X axis denotes the amount of Mg alloy melt having reacted with the entrained gas, and the vertical Y-axis denotes the amounts of the reactants and products.

Stage 1: The formation of fluorides. SF₆ and its decomposition products were consumed by the AZ91 melt, forming MgF₂, AlF₃, and ZnF₂. As in the reaction of AZ91 in 0.5%SF₆/air, the amount of ZnF₂ was too small to be detected practically (1.51 × 10⁻¹³ kmol of ZnF₂ compared with 2.67 × 10⁻¹⁰ kmol of MgF₂). Sulphur accumulated in the residual trapped gas as S₂(g) and a portion of the S₂(g) reacted with CO₂, to form SO₂ and CO. The products in this reaction stage were consistent with the film shown in Fig. 11(a), which had a single layer structure that contained fluorides only.

Stage 2: The formation of oxides. AlF₃ and ZnF₂ reacted with the Mg in the AZ91 melt, forming MgF₂, Al and Zn. The SO₂ began to be consumed, producing oxides in the surface film and S₂(g) in the cover gas. Meanwhile, the CO₂ directly reacted with the AZ91 melt, forming CO, MgO, ZnO, and Al₂O₃. The oxide films shown in Figs. 9 and 11(b) may correspond to this reaction stage due to their oxygen-enriched layer and multi-layered structure.

The CO in the cover gas could further react with the AZ91 melt, producing C. This carbon may further react with Mg to form Mg carbides, when the temperature reduced (during solidification period) [62]. This may be the reason for the high carbon content in the oxide film shown in Figs. 8–9. Liang et al. [39] also reported carbon-detection in an AZ91 alloy surface film protected by SO₂/CO₂. The produced Al₂O₃ may be further combined with MgO, forming MgAl₂O₄ [63]. As discussed in Section 4.1, the alumina and spinel can react with Mg, causing an absence of aluminium in the surface films, as shown in Fig. 11.

Stage 3: The formation of Sulphide. the AZ91 melt began to consume S₂(g) in the residual entrapped gas, forming ZnS and MgS. These reactions did not occur until the last stage of the reaction process, which could be the reason why the S-content in the defect shown Fig. 7(c) was small.

In summary, thermodynamic calculations indicate that the AZ91 melt will react with the cover gas to form fluorides firstly, then oxides and sulphides in the last. The oxide film in the different reaction stages would have different structures and compositions.

4.3. Effect of the carrier gases on consumption of the entrained gas and the reproducibility of AZ91 castings

The evolution processes of entrainment defects, formed in SF₆/air and SF₆/CO₂, have been suggested in Sections 4.1 and 4.2. The theoretical calculations were verified with respect to the corresponding oxide films found in practical samples. The atmosphere within an entrainment defect could be efficiently consumed due to the reaction with liquid Mg-alloy, in a scenario dissimilar to the Al-alloy system (i.e., nitrogen in an entrained air bubble would not efficiently react with Al-alloy melt [64,65], however, nitrogen would be more readily consumed in liquid Mg alloys, commonly referred to as “nitrogen burning” [66]).

The reaction between the entrained gas and the surrounding liquid Mg-alloy converted the entrained gas into solid compounds (e.g. MgO) within the oxide film, thus reducing the void volume of the entrainment defect and hence probably causing a collapse of the defect (e.g., if an entrained gas of air was depleted by the surrounding liquid Mg-alloy, under an assumption that the melt temperature is 700 °C and the depth of liquid Mg-alloy is 10 cm, the total volume of the final solid products would be 0.044% of the initial volume taken by the entrapped air).

The relationship between the void volume reduction of entrainment defects and the corresponding casting properties has been widely studied in Al-alloy castings. Nyahumwa and Campbell [16] reported that the Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) process caused the entrainment defects in Al-alloy castings to collapse and their oxide surfaces forced into contact. The fatigue lives of their castings were improved after HIP. Nyahumwa and Campbell [16] also suggested a potential bonding of the double oxide films that were in contact with each other, but there was no direct evidence to support this. This binding phenomenon was further investigated by Aryafar et.al.[8], who re-melted two Al-alloy bars with oxide skins in a steel tube and then carried out a tensile strength test on the solidified sample. They found that the oxide skins of the Al-alloy bars strongly bonded with each other and became even stronger with an extension of the melt holding time, indicating a potential “healing” phenomenon due to the consumption of the entrained gas within the double oxide film structure. In addition, Raidszadeh and Griffiths [9,19] successfully reduced the negative effect of entrainment defects on the reproducibility of Al-alloy castings, by extending the melt holding time before solidification, which allowed the entrained gas to have a longer time to react with the surrounding melt.

With consideration of the previous work mentioned, the consumption of the entrained gas in Mg-alloy castings may diminish the negative effect of entrainment defects in the following two ways.

(1) Bonding phenomenon of the double oxide films. The sandwich-like structure shown in Fig. 5 and 7 indicated a potential bonding of the double oxide film structure. However, more evidence is required to quantify the increase in strength due to the bonding of the oxide films.

(2) Void volume reduction of entrainment defects. The positive effect of void-volume reduction on the quality of castings has been widely demonstrated by the HIP process [67]. As the evolution processes discussed in Section 4.1–4.2, the oxide films of entrainment defects can grow together due to an ongoing reaction between the entrained gas and surrounding AZ91 alloy melt. The volume of the final solid products was significant small compared with the entrained gas (i.e., 0.044% as previously mentioned).

Therefore, the consumption rate of the entrained gas (i.e., the growth rate of oxide films) may be a critical parameter for improving the quality of AZ91 alloy castings. The oxide film growth rate in the oxidization cell was accordingly further investigated.

Fig. 14 shows a comparison of the surface film growth rates in different cover gases (i.e., 0.5%SF₆/air and 0.5%SF₆/CO₂). 15 random points on each sample were selected for film thickness measurements. The 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was computed under an assumption that the variation of the film thickness followed a Gaussian distribution. It can be seen that all the surface films formed in 0.5%SF₆/air grew faster than those formed in 0.5%SF₆/CO₂. The different growth rates suggested that the entrained-gas consumption rate of 0.5%SF₆/air was higher than that of 0.5%SF₆/CO₂, which was more beneficial for the consumption of the entrained gas.

Fig. 14. A comparison of the AZ91 alloy oxide film growth rates in 0.5%SF6/air and 0.5%SF6/CO2

It should be noted that, in the oxidation cell, the contact area of liquid AZ91 alloy and cover gas (i.e. the size of the crucible) was relatively small with consideration of the large volume of melt and gas. Consequently, the holding time for the oxide film growth within the oxidation cell was comparatively long (i.e., 5–30 min). However, the entrainment defects contained in a real casting are comparatively very small (i.e., a few microns size as shown in Figs. 3–6, and [7]), and the entrained gas is fully enclosed by the surrounding melt, creating a relatively large contact area. Hence the reaction time for cover gas and the AZ91 alloy melt may be comparatively short. In addition, the solidification time of real Mg-alloy sand castings can be a few minutes (e.g. Guo [68] reported that a Mg-alloy sand casting with 60 mm diameter required 4 min to be solidified). Therefore, it can be expected that an entrained gas trapped during an Mg-alloy melt pouring process will be readily consumed by the surrounding melt, especially for sand castings and large-size castings, where solidification times are long.

Therefore, the different cover gases (0.5%SF₆/air and 0.5%SF₆/CO₂) associated with different consumption rates of the entrained gases may affect the reproducibility of the final castings. To verify this assumption, the AZ91 castings produced in 0.5%SF₆/air and 0.5%SF₆/CO₂ were machined into test bars for mechanical evaluation. A Weibull analysis was carried out using both linear least square (LLS) method and non-linear least square (non-LLS) method [69].

Fig. 15(a-b) shows a traditional 2-p linearized Weibull plot of the UTS and elongation of the AZ91 alloy castings, obtained by the LLS method. The estimator used is P= (i-0.5)/N, which was suggested to cause the lowest bias among all the popular estimators [69,70]. The casting produced in SF₆/air has an UTS Weibull moduli of 16.9, and an elongation Weibull moduli of 5.0. In contrast, the UTS and elongation Weibull modulus of the casting produced in SF₆/CO₂ are 7.7 and 2.7 respectively, suggesting that the reproducibility of the casting protected by SF₆/CO₂ were much lower than that produced in SF₆/air.

Fig. 15. The Weibull modulus of AZ91 castings produced in different atmospheres, estimated by (a-b) the linear least square method, (c-d) the non-linear least square method, where SSR is the sum of residual squares.

In addition, the author’s previous publication [69] demonstrated a shortcoming of the linearized Weibull plots, which may cause a higher bias and incorrect R² interruption of the Weibull estimation. A Non-LLS Weibull estimation was therefore carried out, as shown in Fig. 15 (c-d). The UTS Weibull modulus of the SF₆/air casting was 20.8, while the casting produced under SF₆/CO₂ had a lower UTS Weibull modulus of 11.4, showing a clear difference in their reproducibility. In addition, the SF₆/air elongation (El%) dataset also had a Weibull modulus (shape = 5.8) higher than the elongation dataset of SF₆/CO₂ (shape = 3.1). Therefore, both the LLS and Non-LLS estimations suggested that the SF₆/air casting has a higher reproducibility than the SF₆/CO₂ casting. It supports the method that the use of air instead of CO₂ contributes to a quicker consumption of the entrained gas, which may reduce the void volume within the defects. Therefore, the use of 0.5%SF₆/air instead of 0.5%SF₆/CO₂ (which increased the consumption rate of the entrained gas) improved the reproducibility of the AZ91 castings.

However, it should be noted that not all the Mg-alloy foundries followed the casting process used in present work. The Mg-alloy melt in present work was degassed, thus reducing the effect of hydrogen on the consumption of the entrained gas (i.e., hydrogen could diffuse into the entrained gas, potentially suppressing the depletion of the entrained gas [7,71,72]). In contrast, in Mg-alloy foundries, the Mg-alloy melt is not normally degassed, since it was widely believed that there is not a ‘gas problem’ when casting magnesium and hence no significant change in tensile properties [73]. Although studies have shown the negative effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of Mg-alloy castings [41,42,73], a degassing process is still not very popular in Mg-alloy foundries.

Moreover, in present work, the sand mould cavity was flushed with the SF₆ cover gas prior to pouring [22]. However, not all the Mg-alloy foundries flushed the mould cavity in this way. For example, the Stone Foundry Ltd (UK) used sulphur powder instead of the cover-gas flushing. The entrained gas within their castings may be SO₂/air, rather than the protective gas.

Therefore, although the results in present work have shown that using air instead of CO₂ improved the reproducibility of the final casting, it still requires further investigations to confirm the effect of carrier gases with respect to different industrial Mg-alloy casting processes.

7. Conclusion

Entrainment defects formed in an AZ91 alloy were observed. Their oxide films had two types of structure: single-layered and multi-layered. The multi-layered oxide film can grow together forming a sandwich-like structure in the final casting.2.

Both the experimental results and the theoretical thermodynamic calculations demonstrated that fluorides in the trapped gas were depleted prior to the consumption of sulphur. A three-stage evolution process of the double oxide film defects has been suggested. The oxide films contained different combinations of compounds, depending on the evolution stage. The defects formed in SF₆/air had a similar structure to those formed in SF₆/CO₂, but the compositions of their oxide films were different. The oxide-film formation and evolution process of the entrainment defects were different from that of the Mg-alloy surface films previous reported (i.e., MgO formed prior to MgF₂).3.

The growth rate of the oxide film was demonstrated to be greater under SF₆/air than SF₆/CO₂, contributing to a quicker consumption of the damaging entrapped gas. The reproducibility of an AZ91 alloy casting improved when using SF₆/air instead of SF₆/CO₂.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from the EPSRC LiME grant EP/H026177/1, and the help from Dr W.D. Griffiths and Mr. Adrian Carden (University of Birmingham). The casting work was carried out in University of Birmingham.

Reference

[1]

M.K. McNutt, SALAZAR K.

Magnesium, Compounds & Metal, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Department of the Interior

Reston, Virginia (2013)

Google Scholar [2]

Magnesium

Compounds & Metal, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Department of the Interior

(1996)

Google Scholar [3]

I. Ostrovsky, Y. Henn

ASTEC’07 International Conference-New Challenges in Aeronautics, Moscow (2007), pp. 1-5

Aug 19-22

Y. Wan, B. Tang, Y. Gao, L. Tang, G. Sha, B. Zhang, N. Liang, C. Liu, S. Jiang, Z. Chen, X. Guo, Y. Zhao

Acta Mater., 200 (2020), pp. 274-286

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [5]

J.T.J. Burd, E.A. Moore, H. Ezzat, R. Kirchain, R. Roth

Appl. Energy, 283 (2021), Article 116269

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [6]

A.M. Lewis, J.C. Kelly, G.A. Keoleian

Appl. Energy, 126 (2014), pp. 13-20

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [7]

J. Campbell

Castings

Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford (2004)

Google Scholar [8]

M. Aryafar, R. Raiszadeh, A. Shalbafzadeh

J. Mater. Sci., 45 (2010), pp. 3041-3051 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [9]

R. Raiszadeh, W.D. Griffiths

Metall. Mater. Trans. B-Process Metall. Mater. Process. Sci., 42 (2011), pp. 133-143 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [10]

R. Raiszadeh, W.D. Griffiths

J. Alloy. Compd., 491 (2010), pp. 575-580

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [11]

L. Peng, G. Zeng, T.C. Su, H. Yasuda, K. Nogita, C.M. Gourlay

JOM, 71 (2019), pp. 2235-2244 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [12]

S. Ganguly, A.K. Mondal, S. Sarkar, A. Basu, S. Kumar, C. Blawert

Corros. Sci., 166 (2020)[13]

G.E. Bozchaloei, N. Varahram, P. Davami, S.K. Kim

Mater. Sci. Eng. A-Struct. Mater. Prop. Microstruct. Process., 548 (2012), pp. 99-105

View Record in Scopus [14]

S. Fox, J. Campbell

Scr. Mater., 43 (2000), pp. 881-886

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [15]

M. Cox, R.A. Harding, J. Campbell

Mater. Sci. Technol., 19 (2003), pp. 613-625

View Record in Scopus [16]

C. Nyahumwa, N.R. Green, J. Campbell

Metall. Mater. Trans. A-Phys. Metall. Mater. Sci., 32 (2001), pp. 349-358

View Record in Scopus [17]

A. Ardekhani, R. Raiszadeh

J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 21 (2012), pp. 1352-1362 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [18]

X. Dai, X. Yang, J. Campbell, J. Wood

Mater. Sci. Technol., 20 (2004), pp. 505-513

View Record in Scopus [19]

E.M. Elgallad, M.F. Ibrahim, H.W. Doty, F.H. Samuel

Philos. Mag., 98 (2018), pp. 1337-1359 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [20]

W.D. Griffiths, N.W. Lai

Metall. Mater. Trans. A-Phys. Metall. Mater. Sci., 38A (2007), pp. 190-196 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [21]

A.R. Mirak, M. Divandari, S.M.A. Boutorabi, J. Campbell

Int. J. Cast Met. Res., 20 (2007), pp. 215-220 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [22]

C. Cingi

Laboratory of Foundry Engineering

Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland (2006)

Google Scholar [23]

Y. Jia, J. Hou, H. Wang, Q. Le, Q. Lan, X. Chen, L. Bao

J. Mater. Process. Technol., 278 (2020), Article 116542

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [24]

S. Ouyang, G. Yang, H. Qin, S. Luo, L. Xiao, W. Jie

Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 780 (2020), Article 139138

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [25]

S.-m. Xiong, X.-F. Wang

Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, 20 (2010), pp. 1228-1234

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [26]

G.V. Research

Grand View Research

(2018)

USA

Google Scholar [27]

T. Li, J. Davies

Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 51 (2020), pp. 5389-5400 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [28]J.F. Fruehling, The University of Michigan, 1970.

Google Scholar [29]

S. Couling

36th Annual World Conference on Magnesium, Norway (1979), pp. 54-57

View Record in Scopus Google Scholar [30]

S. Cashion, N. Ricketts, P. Hayes

J. Light Met., 2 (2002), pp. 43-47

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [31]

S. Cashion, N. Ricketts, P. Hayes

J. Light Met., 2 (2002), pp. 37-42

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [32]

K. Aarstad, G. Tranell, G. Pettersen, T.A. Engh

Various Techniques to Study the Surface of Magnesium Protected by SF6

TMS (2003)

Google Scholar [33]

S.-M. Xiong, X.-L. Liu

Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 38 (2007), pp. 428-434 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [34]

T.-S. Shih, J.-B. Liu, P.-S. Wei

Mater. Chem. Phys., 104 (2007), pp. 497-504

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [35]

G. Pettersen, E. Øvrelid, G. Tranell, J. Fenstad, H. Gjestland

Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 332 (2002), pp. 285-294

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [36]

H. Bo, L.B. Liu, Z.P. Jin

J. Alloy. Compd., 490 (2010), pp. 318-325

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [37]

A. Mirak, C. Davidson, J. Taylor

Corros. Sci., 52 (2010), pp. 1992-2000

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [38]

B.D. Lee, U.H. Beak, K.W. Lee, G.S. Han, J.W. Han

Mater. Trans., 54 (2013), pp. 66-73 View PDF

View Record in Scopus [39]

W.Z. Liang, Q. Gao, F. Chen, H.H. Liu, Z.H. Zhao

China Foundry, 9 (2012), pp. 226-230 View PDF

CrossRef [40]

U.I. Gol’dshleger, E.Y. Shafirovich

Combust. Explos. Shock Waves, 35 (1999), pp. 637-644[41]

A. Elsayed, S.L. Sin, E. Vandersluis, J. Hill, S. Ahmad, C. Ravindran, S. Amer Foundry

Trans. Am. Foundry Soc., 120 (2012), pp. 423-429[42]

E. Zhang, G.J. Wang, Z.C. Hu

Mater. Sci. Technol., 26 (2010), pp. 1253-1258

View Record in Scopus [43]

N.R. Green, J. Campbell

Mater. Sci. Eng. A-Struct. Mater. Prop. Microstruct. Process., 173 (1993), pp. 261-266

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [44]

C Reilly, MR Jolly, NR Green

Proceedings of MCWASP XII – 12th Modelling of Casting, Welding and Advanced Solidifcation Processes, Vancouver, Canada (2009)

Google Scholar [45]H.E. Friedrich, B.L. Mordike, Springer, Germany, 2006.

Google Scholar [46]

C. Zheng, B.R. Qin, X.B. Lou

Proceedings of the 2010 International Conference on Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Technologies, ASME (2010), pp. 383-388

Mimt 2010 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus Google Scholar [47]

S.M. Xiong, X.F. Wang

Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, 20 (2010), pp. 1228-1234

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [48]

S.M. Xiong, X.L. Liu

Metall. Mater. Trans. A-Phys. Metall. Mater. Sci., 38A (2007), pp. 428-434 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [49]

T.S. Shih, J.B. Liu, P.S. Wei

Mater. Chem. Phys., 104 (2007), pp. 497-504

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [50]

K. Aarstad, G. Tranell, G. Pettersen, T.A. Engh

Magn. Technol. (2003), pp. 5-10[51]

G. Pettersen, E. Ovrelid, G. Tranell, J. Fenstad, H. Gjestland

Mater. Sci. Eng. A-Struct. Mater. Prop. Microstruct. Process., 332 (2002), pp. 285-294

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [52]

X.F. Wang, S.M. Xiong

Corros. Sci., 66 (2013), pp. 300-307

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [53]

S.H. Nie, S.M. Xiong, B.C. Liu

Mater. Sci. Eng. A-Struct. Mater. Prop. Microstruct. Process., 422 (2006), pp. 346-351

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [54]

C. Bauer, A. Mogessie, U. Galovsky

Zeitschrift Fur Metallkunde, 97 (2006), pp. 164-168 View PDF

CrossRef[55]

Q.G. Wang, D. Apelian, D.A. Lados

J. Light Met., 1 (2001), pp. 73-84

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [56]

S. Wang, Y. Wang, Q. Ramasse, Z. Fan

Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 51 (2020), pp. 2957-2974[57]

S. Hayashi, W. Minami, T. Oguchi, H.J. Kim

Kag. Kog. Ronbunshu, 35 (2009), pp. 411-415 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [58]

K. Aarstad

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

(2004)

Google Scholar [59]

R.L. Wilkins

J. Chem. Phys., 51 (1969), p. 853

View Record in Scopus [60]

O. Kubaschewski, K. Hesselemam

Thermo-Chemical Properties of Inorganic Substances

Springer-Verlag, Belin (1991)

Google Scholar [61]

R. Schmidt, M. Strobele, K. Eichele, H.J. Meyer

Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. (2017), pp. 2727-2735 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [62]

B. Hu, Y. Du, H. Xu, W. Sun, W.W. Zhang, D. Zhao

J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall., 46 (2010), pp. 97-103

View Record in Scopus [63]

O. Salas, H. Ni, V. Jayaram, K.C. Vlach, C.G. Levi, R. Mehrabian

J. Mater. Res., 6 (1991), pp. 1964-1981

View Record in Scopus [64]

S.S.S. Kumari, U.T.S. Pillai, B.C. Pai

J. Alloy. Compd., 509 (2011), pp. 2503-2509

Article Download PDF View Record in Scopus [65]

H. Scholz, P. Greil

J. Mater. Sci., 26 (1991), pp. 669-677

View Record in Scopus [66]

P. Biedenkopf, A. Karger, M. Laukotter, W. Schneider

Magn. Technol., 2005 (2005), pp. 39-42

View Record in Scopus [67]

H.V. Atkinson, S. Davies

Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 31 (2000), pp. 2981-3000 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [68]

E.J. Guo, L. Wang, Y.C. Feng, L.P. Wang, Y.H. Chen

J. Therm. Anal. Calorim., 135 (2019), pp. 2001-2008 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [69]

T. Li, W.D. Griffiths, J. Chen

Metall. Mater. Trans. A-Phys. Metall. Mater. Sci., 48A (2017), pp. 5516-5528 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [70]

M. Tiryakioglu, D. Hudak

J. Mater. Sci., 42 (2007), pp. 10173-10179 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus [71]

Y. Yue, W.D. Griffiths, J.L. Fife, N.R. Green

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on 3d Materials Science (2012), pp. 131-136 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus Google Scholar [72]

R. Raiszadeh, W.D. Griffiths

Metall. Mater. Trans. B-Process Metall. Mater. Process. Sci., 37 (2006), pp. 865-871

View Record in Scopus [73]

Z.C. Hu, E.L. Zhang, S.Y. Zeng

Mater. Sci. Technol., 24 (2008), pp. 1304-1308 View PDF

CrossRef View Record in Scopus

Malithi De Silva : University of Kelaniya

Landslide flow path modelling
A Case Study on Aranayaka
Landslide

산사태 유로 모델링 : Aranayaka 산사태 사례 연구

Authors:

N.M.T De Silva
University of Colombo School of Computing
2018

Abstract

산사태가 발생하기 쉬운 구릉 지역 근처에서 발생하는 최근 인구 증가 및 개발은 취약성을 증가시킵니다. 기후 변화의 영향은 산사태 위험의 가능성을 더욱 높입니다. 따라서 인명 및 재산 피해를 방지하기 위해서는 불안정한 경사면 거동에 대한 적절한 관찰과 분석이 중요합니다.

산사태 흐름 경로 예측은 산사태 흐름 경로를 결정하는 데 중요하며 위험 매핑의 필수 요소입니다. 그러나 현상의 복잡한 특성과 관련 매개변수의 불확실성으로 인해 흐름 경로 예측은 어려운 작업입니다. 이 작업에서는 Kegalle 지역의 Aranayaka 지역의 주요 산사태 사고를 흐름 경로를 모델링하기 위한 사례 연구로 사용합니다.

위치에서 디지털 고도 모델을 기반으로 잠재적 소스 영역이 식별되었습니다. 확산 영역 평가는 D8 및 다중 방향 흐름 알고리즘이라는 두 가지 흐름 방향 알고리즘을 기반으로 했습니다. 이 프로토타입 모델을 사용하여 사용자는 슬라이드의 최대 너비, 런아웃 거리 및 슬립 표면적과 같은 산사태 관련 통계를 대화식으로 얻을 수 있습니다.

모델에서 얻은 결과는 실제 Aranayaka 산사태 데이터 세트와 해당 지역의 산사태 위험 지도와 비교되었습니다. D8 알고리즘을 사용하여 구현된 도구에서 생성된 산사태 흐름 경로는 65% 이상의 일치를 나타내고 다중 방향 흐름 알고리즘은 실제 흐름 경로 및 기타 관련 통계와 69% 이상의 일치를 나타냅니다.

또한, 생성된 유동 경로 방향과 예상되는 산사태 시작 지점이 실제 산사태 경계 내부에 잘 일치합니다.

Recent population growth and developments taking place close to landslides prone
hilly areas increase their vulnerability. Climate change impacts further raise the
potential of landslide hazard. Therefore, to prevent loss of lives and damage to
property, proper observation and analysis of unstable slope behavior is crucial.
Landslide flow path forecasting is important for determining a landslide flow route and
it is an essential element in hazard mapping. However, due to the complex nature of
the phenomenon and the uncertainties of associated parameters flow path prediction is
a challenging task.
In this work, the major landslide incident at Aranayaka area in Kegalle district is taken
as the case study to model the flow path. At the location, potential source areas were
identified on the basis of the Digital Elevation Model. Spreading area assessment was
based on two flow directional algorithms namely D8 and Multiple Direction Flow
Algorithm. Using this prototype model, a user can interactively get landslide specific
statistics such as the maximum width of the slide, runout distance, and slip surface area.
Results obtained by the model were compared with the actual Aranayaka landslide data
set the landslide hazard map of the area.
Landslide flow paths generated from the implemented tool using D8 algorithm shows
more than 65% agreement and Multiple Direction Flow Algorithm shows more than
69% agreement with the actual flow paths and other related statistics. Also, the
generated flow path directions and predicted possible landslide initiation points fit
inside the actual landslide boundary with good agreement.

References

[1] na, “Landslides 101,” [Online]. Available: https://landslides.usgs.gov/learn/ls101.php.
[Accessed 20 01 2017].
[2] U.S. Department of the Interior, “Landslide Types and Processes,” July 2004. [Online].
Available: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3072/fs-2004-3072.html. [Accessed 20 July 2017].
[3] “Department of conservation,” 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/landslides/Pages/LandslideTypes.aspx.
[Accessed 20 July 2017].
[4] 22nd May 2016, Aerial Survey report on inundation damages and sediment disasters, 2016.
[5] Peter V. Gorsevski, Paul Gessler and Randy B. Foltz, “Spatial Prediction of Landslide
Hazard Using Discriminant Analysis and GIS,” in GIS in the Rockies 2000 Conference and
Workshop Applications for the 21st Century, Denver, Colorado. , 2000.
[6] M. Casadei, W. E. Dietrich and N. L. Miller, “Testing A Model For Predicting The Timing
And Location Of Shallow Landslide Initiation In Soil-Mantled Landscapes,” Earth Surface
Processes and Landforms, vol. 28, p. 925–950, 2003.
[7] Roberto Arnaldo Trancoso Gomes, Renato Fontes, Osmar Abílio de Carvalho Júnior, Nelson
Ferreira and Eurípedes Vargas do Amaral, “Combining Spatial Models for Shallow
Landslides and Debris-Flows Prediction,” Remote Sensing, no. 5, pp. 2219-2237, 2013.
[8] P. Bertolo and G. F. Wieczorek, “Calibration of numerical models for small debris flow in
Yosemite Valley, California, USA,” Documentation and monitoring of landslides and debris
flows for mathematical modelling and design of mitigation measures, 13 December 2005.
[9] T. A. Gebreslassie, “Dynamic simulations of landslide runout in cohesive Soils,” Oslo, 2015.
[10] P. Tarolli and D. G. Tarboton, “A new method for determination of most likely landslide
initiation points and the evaluation of digital terrain model scale in terrain stability mapping,”
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, no. 10, p. 663–677, 2006.
[11] G.-B. Kim, “Numerical Simulation Of Three-Dimensional Tsunami Generation By Subaerial
Landslides,” 2013.

[12] Giuseppe Formetta, Giovanna Capparelli, and Pasqua, “Evaluating performance of simplified
physically based models for shallow landslide susceptibility,” Hydrol. Earth System, no. 20,
p. 4585–4603, 2016.
[13] F. Dai and C. Lee, “Landslide characteristics and slope instability modeling using GIS,
Lantau Island, Hong Kong,” 2001.
[14] S. McDougall, “Landslide runout analysis — current practice and challenges,” Canadian
Geotechnical Colloquium, vol. 57, pp. 605-620, 2017.
[15] P. Quinn, K. Beven, P. Chevallier And O. Planchon, “The Prediction Of Hillslope Flow Paths
For Distributed Hydrological Modelling Using Digital Terrain Models,” Hydrological
Processes, Vol. Vol. 5, Pp. 59-79, 1991.
[16] V. B., “Comparison of Single and Multiple Flow Direction Algorithm for Computing
Topographic Parameters in Topmodel,” 2000.
[17] J.-f. G. P. T. K. T. Guang-ju ZHAO, “Comparison of two different methods for determining
flow direction in catchment hydrological modeling,” Water Science and Engineering, vol. 2,
no. 4, pp. 1-15, 2009.
[18] D. G. Tarboton, “A New Method For The Determination Of Flow Directions And Upslope
Areas In Grid Digital Elevation Models,” Water Resources Research, Vol. 33, No. 2, P. 33,
309-319.
[19] V. Baumann, “Debris flow susceptibility mapping at a regional scale along the National Road
N7, Argentina,” in CGS Geotechnical Conference, Argentina, 2011.
[20] Q. Z. Petter Pilesjö, “Theoretical Estimation Of Flow Accumulation From A Grid-Based
Digital Elevation Model,” In Proceedings Of Gis Am/Fm Asia’97 And Geoinformatics’97
Conference, Taipei, 1997.
[21] G. A. D. Y. a. C. S. L. John P. WILSON, “Water in the Landscape: A Review of
Contemporary Flow Routing Algorithms,” pp. 213-236.
[22] “MathWorks,” The MathWorks, Inc., [Online]. Available: https://in.mathworks.com/.
[Accessed 1 10 2017].
[23] “What is GIS?,” Esri, [Online]. Available: http://www.esri.com/what-is-gis. [Accessed 12 11
2017].
[24] P. Barrett, “Paul Barrett,” Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, [Online]. Available:
http://www.pbarrett.net/techpapers/euclid.pdf. [Accessed 05 01 2018].

[25] S. S. Gruber, Land-surface parameters and objects in hydrology., Elsevier, 2009.
[26] “Landscape Evolution Modeling with CHILD,” Community Surface Dynamics Modeling
System, [Online]. Available:
http://csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Labs_Landscape_Evolution_Modeling_With_Child_Part_2.
[Accessed 13 01 2018].
[27] M. Cooper, “Depth Recovery through Linear Algebra,” in Line Drawing Interpretation,
Springer Science & Business Media., p. 118.
[28] A. P. Nicholas, “Cellular modelling in fluvial geomorphology,” in Earth Surface Processes
and Landforms, 2005, p. 645–649.
[29] “Making Successful Maps,” DroneDeploy, [Online]. Available:
https://support.dronedeploy.com/v1.0/docs/making-successful-maps. [Accessed 15 10 2017].
[30] “M_Map:A mapping package for Matlab,” rich@eos.ubc.ca, [Online]. Available:
https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/~rich/map.html. [Accessed 15 01 2018].
[31] P. Dulanjalee, “Landslide Flow Path Assessment for Susceptibility Mapping at a Regional
Scale,” in ‘Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience’’- NBRO holds 8th Annual
Symposium, Colombo, 2017.
[32] L. K. a. D. M. E. Boyagoda, ” Subsurface Geotechnical Characterization,” in International
Symposium, NBRO, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2016.
[33] E. E. Duncan and A. A. Rahman, “An Amalgamation Of 3d Spatial Data Model For Surface
And Subsurface Spatial Objects.,” in Knowing To Manage The Territory, Protect The
Environment, Evaluate The Cultural Heritage, Rome, Italy, 2012.

PDF 원문보기

Fig. 1. Model geometry with the computational domain, extrusion nozzle, toolpath, and boundary conditions. The model is presented while printing the fifth layer.

재료 압출 적층 제조에서 증착된 층의 안정성 및 변형

Md Tusher Mollah Raphaël 사령관 Marcin P. Serdeczny David B. Pedersen Jon Spangenberg덴마크 공과 대학 기계 공학과, Kgs. 덴마크 링비

2020년 12월 22일 접수, 2021년 5월 1일 수정, 2021년 7월 15일 수락, 2021년 7월 21일 온라인 사용 가능, 기록 버전 2021년 8월 17일 .

Abstract

이 문서는 재료 압출 적층 제조 에서 여러 레이어를 인쇄하는 동안 증착 흐름의 전산 유체 역학 시뮬레이션 을 제공합니다 . 개발된 모델은 증착된 레이어의 형태를 예측하고 점소성 재료 를 인쇄하는 동안 레이어 변형을 캡처합니다 . 물리학은 일반화된 뉴턴 유체 로 공식화된 Bingham 구성 모델의 연속성 및 운동량 방정식에 의해 제어됩니다. . 증착된 층의 단면 모양이 예측되고 재료의 다양한 구성 매개변수에 대해 층의 변형이 연구됩니다. 층의 변형은 인쇄물의 정수압과 압출시 압출압력으로 인한 것임을 알 수 있다. 시뮬레이션에 따르면 항복 응력이 높을수록 변형이 적은 인쇄물이 생성되는 반면 플라스틱 점도 가 높을수록 증착된 레이어에서변형이 커 집니다 . 또한, 인쇄 속도, 압출 속도 의 영향, 층 높이 및 인쇄된 층의 변형에 대한 노즐 직경을 조사합니다. 마지막으로, 이 모델은 후속 인쇄된 레이어의 정수압 및 압출 압력을 지원하기 위해 증착 후 점소성 재료가 요구하는 항복 응력의 필요한 증가에 대한 보수적인 추정치를 제공합니다.

This paper presents computational fluid dynamics simulations of the deposition flow during printing of multiple layers in material extrusion additive manufacturing. The developed model predicts the morphology of the deposited layers and captures the layer deformations during the printing of viscoplastic materials. The physics is governed by the continuity and momentum equations with the Bingham constitutive model, formulated as a generalized Newtonian fluid. The cross-sectional shapes of the deposited layers are predicted, and the deformation of layers is studied for different constitutive parameters of the material. It is shown that the deformation of layers is due to the hydrostatic pressure of the printed material, as well as the extrusion pressure during the extrusion. The simulations show that a higher yield stress results in prints with less deformations, while a higher plastic viscosity leads to larger deformations in the deposited layers. Moreover, the influence of the printing speed, extrusion speed, layer height, and nozzle diameter on the deformation of the printed layers is investigated. Finally, the model provides a conservative estimate of the required increase in yield stress that a viscoplastic material demands after deposition in order to support the hydrostatic and extrusion pressure of the subsequently printed layers.

키워드

점성 플라스틱 재료, 재료 압출 적층 제조(MEX-AM), 다층 증착, 전산유체역학(CFD), 변형 제어
Viscoplastic Materials, Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (MEX-AM), Multiple-Layers Deposition, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Deformation Control

Introduction

Three-dimensional printing of viscoplastic materials has grown in popularity over the recent years, due to the success of Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (MEX-AM) [1]. Viscoplastic materials, such as ceramic pastes [2,3], hydrogels [4], thermosets [5], and concrete [6], behave like solids when the applied load is below their yield stress, and like a fluid when the applied load exceeds their yield stress [7]. Viscoplastic materials are typically used in MEX-AM techniques such as Robocasting [8], and 3D concrete printing [9,10]. The differences between these technologies lie in the processing of the material before the extrusion and in the printing scale (from microscale to big area additive manufacturing). In these extrusion-based technologies, the structure is fabricated in a layer-by-layer approach onto a solid surface/support [11, 12]. During the process, the material is typically deposited on top of the previously printed layers that may be already solidified (wet-on-dry printing) or still deformable (wet-on-wet printing) [1]. In wet-on-wet printing, control over the deformation of layers is important for the stability and geometrical accuracy of the prints. If the material is too liquid after the deposition, it cannot support the pressure of the subsequently deposited layers. On the other hand, the material flowability is a necessity during extrusion through the nozzle. Several experimental studies have been performed to analyze the physics of the extrusion and deposition of viscoplastic materials, as reviewed in Refs. [13–16]. The experimental measurements can be supplemented with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to gain a more complete picture of MEX-AM. A review of the CFD studies within the material processing and deposition in 3D concrete printing was presented by Roussel et al. [17]. Wolfs et al. [18] predicted numerically the failure-deformation of a cylindrical structure due to the self-weight by calculating the stiffness and strength of the individual layers. It was found that the deformations can take place in all layers, however the most critical deformation occurs in the bottom layer. Comminal et al. [19,20] presented three-dimensional simulations of the material deposition in MEX-AM, where the fluid was approximated as Newtonian. Subsequently, the model was experimentally validated in Ref. [21] for polymer-based MEX-AM, and extended to simulate the deposition of multiple layers in Ref. [22], where the previously printed material was assumed solid. Xia et al. [23] simulated the influence of the viscoelastic effects on the shape of deposited layers in MEX-AM. A numerical model for simulating the deposition of a viscoplastic material was recently presented and experimentally validated in Refs. [24] and [25]. These studies focused on predicting the cross-sectional shape of a single printed layer for different processing conditions (relative printing speed, and layer height). Despite these research efforts, a limited number of studies have focused on investigating the material deformations in wet-on-wet printing when multiple layers are deposited on top of each other. This paper presents CFD simulations of the extrusion-deposition flow of a viscoplastic material for several subsequent layers (viz. three- and five-layers). The material is continuously printed one layer over another on a fixed solid surface. The rheology of the viscoplastic material is approximated by the Bingham constitutive equation that is formulated using the Generalized Newtonian Fluid (GNF) model. The CFD model is used to predict the cross-sectional shapes of the layers and their deformations while printing the next layers on top. Moreover, the simulations are used to quantify the extrusion pressure applied by the deposited material on the substrate, and the previously printed layers. Numerically, it is investigated how the process parameters (i.e., the extrusion speed, printing speed, nozzle diameter, and layer height) and the material rheology affect the deformations of the deposited layers. Section 2 describes the methodology of the study. Section 3 presents and discusses the results. The study is summarized and concluded in Section 4.

References

[1] R.A. Buswell, W.R. Leal De Silva, S.Z. Jones, J. Dirrenberger, 3D printing using
concrete extrusion: a roadmap for research, Cem. Concr. Res. 112 (2018) 37–49.
[2] Z. Chen, Z. Li, J. Li, C. Liu, C. Lao, Y. Fu, C. Liu, Y. Li, P. Wang, Y. He, 3D printing of
ceramics: a review, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 39 (4) (2019) 661–687.
[3] A. Bellini, L. Shor, S.I. Guceri, New developments in fused deposition modeling of
ceramics, Rapid Prototyp. J. 11 (4) (2005) 214–220.
[4] S. Aktas, D.M. Kalyon, B.M. Marín-Santib´
anez, ˜ J. P´erez-Gonzalez, ´ Shear viscosity
and wall slip behavior of a viscoplastic hydrogel, J. Rheol. 58 (2) (2014) 513–535.
[5] J. Lindahl, A. Hassen, S. Romberg, B. Hedger, P. Hedger Jr., M. Walch, T. Deluca,
W. Morrison, P. Kim, A. Roschli, D. Nuttall, Large-scale Additive Manufacturing
with Reactive Polymers, Oak Ridge National Lab.(ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United
States), 2018.
[6] V.N. Nerella, V. Mechtcherine, Studying the printability of fresh concrete for
formwork-free Concrete onsite 3D Printing Technology (CONPrint3D), 3D Concr.
Print. Technol. (2019) 333–347.
[7] C. Tiu, J. Guo, P.H.T. Uhlherr, Yielding behaviour of viscoplastic materials, J. Ind.
Eng. Chem. 12 (5) (2006) 653–662.
[8] B. Dietemann, F. Bosna, M. Lorenz, N. Travitzky, H. Kruggel-Emden, T. Kraft,
C. Bierwisch, Modeling robocasting with smoothed particle hydrodynamics:
printing gapspanning filaments, Addit. Manuf. 36 (2020), 101488.
[9] B. Khoshnevis, R. Russell, H. Kwon, S. Bukkapatnam, Contour crafting – a layered
fabrication, Spec. Issue IEEE Robot. Autom. Mag. 8 (3) (2001) 33–42.
[10] D. Asprone, F. Auricchio, C. Menna, V. Mercuri, 3D printing of reinforced concrete
elements: technology and design approach, Constr. Build. Mater. 165 (2018)
218–231.
[11] J. Jiang, Y. Ma, Path planning strategies to optimize accuracy, quality, build time
and material use in additive manufacturing: a review, Micromachines 11 (7)
(2020) 633.
[12] J. Jiang, A novel fabrication strategy for additive manufacturing processes,
J. Clean. Prod. 272 (2020), 122916.
[13] F. Bos, R. Wolfs, Z. Ahmed, T. Salet, Additive manufacturing of concrete in
construction: potentials and challenges, Virtual Phys. Prototyp. 11 (3) (2016)
209–225.
[14] P. Wu, J. Wang, X. Wang, A critical review of the use of 3-D printing in the
construction industry, Autom. Constr. 68 (2016) 21–31.
[15] T.D. Ngo, A. Kashani, G. Imbalzano, K.T. Nguyen, D. Hui, Additive manufacturing
(3D printing): a review of materials, methods, applications and challenges,
Compos. Part B: Eng. 143 (2018) 172–196.
[16] M. Valente, A. Sibai, M. Sambucci, Extrusion-based additive manufacturing of
concrete products: revolutionizing and remodeling the construction industry,
J. Compos. Sci. 3 (3) (2019) 88.
[17] N. Roussel, J. Spangenberg, J. Wallevik, R. Wolfs, Numerical simulations of
concrete processing: from standard formative casting to additive manufacturing,
Cem. Concr. Res. 135 (2020), 106075.
[18] R.J.M. Wolfs, F.P. Bos, T.A.M. Salet, Early age mechanical behaviour of 3D printed
concrete: numerical modelling and experimental testing, Cem. Concr. Res. 106
(2018) 103–116.
[19] R. Comminal, M.P. Serdeczny, D.B. Pedersen, J. Spangenberg, Numerical modeling
of the strand deposition flow in extrusion-based additive manufacturing, Addit.
Manuf. 20 (2018) 68–76.
[20] R. Comminal, M.P. Serdeczny, D.B. Pedersen, J. Spangenberg, Numerical modeling
of the material deposition and contouring precision in fused deposition modeling,
in Proceedings of the 29th Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication
Symposium, Austin, TX, USA, 2018, pp. 1855–1864.
[21] M.P. Serdeczny, R. Comminal, D.B. Pedersen, J. Spangenberg, Experimental
validation of a numerical model for the strand shape in material extrusion additive
manufacturing, Addit. Manuf. 24 (2018) 145–153.
[22] M.P. Serdeczny, R. Comminal, D.B. Pedersen, J. Spangenberg, Numerical
simulations of the mesostructure formation in material extrusion additive
manufacturing, Addit. Manuf. 28 (2019) 419–429.
[23] H. Xia, J. Lu, G. Tryggvason, A numerical study of the effect of viscoelastic stresses
in fused filament fabrication, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 346 (2019)
242–259.
[24] R. Comminal, W.R.L. da Silva, T.J. Andersen, H. Stang, J. Spangenberg, Influence
of processing parameters on the layer geometry in 3D concrete printing:
experiments and modelling, in: Proceedings of the Second RILEM International
Conference on Concrete and Digital Fabrication, vol. 28, 2020, pp. 852–862.
[25] R. Comminal, W.R.L. da Silva, T.J. Andersen, H. Stang, J. Spangenberg, Modelling
of 3D concrete printing based on computational fluid dynamics, Cem. Concr. Res.
38 (2020), 106256.
[26] E.C. Bingham, An investigation of the laws of plastic flow, US Bur. Stand. Bull. 13
(1916) 309–352.
[27] N. Casson, A flow equation for pigment-oil suspensions of the printing ink type,
Rheol. Disperse Syst. (1959) 84–104.
[28] W.H. Herschel, R. Bulkley, Konsistenzmessungen von Gummi-Benzollosungen, ¨
Kolloid Z. 39 (1926) 291–300.
[29] “FLOW-3D | We solve The World’s Toughest CFD Problems,” FLOW SCIENCE.
〈https://www.flow3d.com/〉. (Accessed 27 June 2020).
[30] S. Jacobsen, R. Cepuritis, Y. Peng, M.R. Geiker, J. Spangenberg, Visualizing and
simulating flow conditions in concrete form filling using pigments, Constr. Build.
Mater. 49 (2013) 328–342.
[31] E.J. O’Donovan, R.I. Tanner, Numerical study of the Bingham squeeze film
problem, J. Non-Newton. Fluid Mech. 15 (1) (1984) 75–83.
[32] C.W. Hirt, B.D. Nichols, Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free
boundaries, J. Comput. Phys. 39 (1) (1981) 201–225.
[33] R. Comminal, J. Spangenberg, J.H. Hattel, Cellwise conservative unsplit advection
for the volume of fluid method, J. Comput. Phys. 283 (2015) 582–608.
[34] A. Negar, S. Nazarian, N.A. Meisel, J.P. Duarte, Experimental prediction of material
deformation in large-scale additive manufacturing of concrete, Addit. Manuf. 37
(2021), 101656.

원문 보기

Gating System Design Based on Numerical Simulation and Production Experiment Verification of Aluminum Alloy Bracket Fabricated by Semi-solid Rheo-Die Casting Process

반고체 레오 다이 캐스팅 공정으로 제작된 알루미늄 합금 브래킷의 수치 시뮬레이션 및 생산 실험 검증을 기반으로 한 게이팅 시스템 설계

International Journal of Metalcasting volume 16, pages878–893 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

In this study a gating system including sprue, runner and overflows for semi-solid rheocasting of aluminum alloy was designed by means of numerical simulations with a commercial software. The effects of pouring temperature, mold temperature and injection speed on the filling process performance of semi-solid die casting were studied. Based on orthogonal test analysis, the optimal die casting process parameters were selected, which were metal pouring temperature 590 °C, mold temperature 260 °C and injection velocity 0.5 m/s. Semi-solid slurry preparation process of Swirled Enthalpy Equilibration Device (SEED) was used for die casting production experiment. Aluminum alloy semi-solid bracket components were successfully produced with the key die casting process parameters selected, which was consistent with the simulation result. The design of semi-solid gating system was further verified by observing and analyzing the microstructure of different zones of the casting. The characteristic parameters, particle size and shape factor of microstructure of the produced semi-solid casting showed that the semi-solid aluminum alloy components are of good quality.

이 연구에서 알루미늄 합금의 반고체 레오캐스팅을 위한 스프루, 러너 및 오버플로를 포함하는 게이팅 시스템은 상용 소프트웨어를 사용한 수치 시뮬레이션을 통해 설계되었습니다. 주입 온도, 금형 온도 및 사출 속도가 반고체 다이캐스팅의 충전 공정 성능에 미치는 영향을 연구했습니다. 직교 테스트 분석을 기반으로 금속 주입 온도 590°C, 금형 온도 260°C 및 사출 속도 0.5m/s인 최적의 다이 캐스팅 공정 매개변수가 선택되었습니다. Swirled Enthalpy Equilibration Device(SEED)의 반고체 슬러리 제조 공정을 다이캐스팅 생산 실험에 사용하였다. 알루미늄 합금 반고체 브래킷 구성 요소는 시뮬레이션 결과와 일치하는 주요 다이 캐스팅 공정 매개변수를 선택하여 성공적으로 생산되었습니다. 반고체 게이팅 시스템의 설계는 주조의 다른 영역의 미세 구조를 관찰하고 분석하여 추가로 검증되었습니다. 생산된 반고체 주조물의 특성 매개변수, 입자 크기 및 미세 구조의 형상 계수는 반고체 알루미늄 합금 부품의 품질이 양호함을 보여주었습니다.

References

G. Li, H. Lu, X. Hu et al., Current progress in rheoforming of wrought aluminum alloys: a review. Met. Open Access Metall. J. 10(2), 238 (2020)CAS Google Scholar
G. Eisaabadi, A. Nouri, Effect of Sr on the microstructure of electromagnetically stirred semi-solid hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys. Int. J. Metalcast. 12, 292–297 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-017-0161-8 CAS Article Google Scholar
C. Xghab, D. Qza, E. Spma et al., Blistering in semi-solid die casting of aluminium alloys and its avoidance. Acta Mater. 124, 446–455 (2017)Article Google Scholar
M. Modigell, J. Koke, Rheological modelling on semi-solid metal alloys and simulation of thixocasting processes. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 111(1–3), 53–58 (2001)CAS Article Google Scholar
A. Pola, M. Tocci, P. Kapranos, Microstructure and properties of semi-solid aluminum alloys: a literature review. Met. Open Access Metall. J. 8(3), 181 (2018)Google Scholar
M.C. Flemings, Behavior of metal alloys in the semisolid state. Metall. Trans. B 22, 269–293 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02651227 Article Google Scholar
Q. Zhu, Semi-solid moulding: competition to cast and machine from forging in making automotive complex components. Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China 20, 1042–1047 (2010)Article Google Scholar
K. Prapasajchavet, Y. Harada, S. Kumai, Microstructure analysis of Al–5.5 at.%Mg alloy semi-solid slurry by Weck’s reagent. Int. J. Metalcast. 11(1), 123 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-016-0084-9 Article Google Scholar
P. Das, S.K. Samanta, S. Tiwari, P. Dutta, Die filling behaviour of semi solid A356 Al alloy slurry during rheo pressure die casting. Trans. Indian Inst. Met. 68(6), 1215–1220 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-015-0706-6 CAS Article Google Scholar
B. Zhou, S. Lu, K. Xu et al., Microstructure and simulation of semisolid aluminum alloy castings in the process of stirring integrated transfer-heat (SIT) with water cooling. Int. J. Metalcast. 14(2), 396–408 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-019-00357-6 CAS Article Google Scholar
S. Ji, Z. Fan, Solidification behavior of Sn–15 wt Pct Pb alloy under a high shear rate and high intensity of turbulence during semisolid processing. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 33(11), 3511–3520 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-002-0338-4 Article Google Scholar
P. Kapranos, P.J. Ward, H.V. Atkinson, D.H. Kirkwood, Near net shaping by semi-solid metal processing. Mater. Des. 21, 387–394 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-3069(99)00077-1 Article Google Scholar
H.V. Atkinson, Alloys for semi-solid processing. Solid State Phenom. 192–193, 16–27 (2013)Google Scholar
L. Rogal, Critical assessment: opportunities in developing semi-solid processing: aluminium, magnesium, and high-temperature alloys. Mater. Sci. Technol. Mst A Publ. Inst. Met. 33, 759–764 (2017)CAS Article Google Scholar
H. Guo, Rheo-diecasting process for semi-solid aluminum alloys. J. Wuhan Univ. Technol. Mater. Sci. Ed. 22(004), 590–595 (2007)CAS Article Google Scholar
T. Chucheep, J. Wannasin, R. Canyook, T. Rattanochaikul, S. Janudom, S. Wisutmethangoon, M.C. Flemings, Characterization of flow behavior of semi-solid slurries with low solid fractions. Metall. Mater. Trans. A 44(10), 4754–4763 (2013)CAS Article Google Scholar
M. Li, Y.D. Li, W.L. Yang et al., Effects of forming processes on microstructures and mechanical properties of A356 aluminum alloy prepared by self-inoculation method. Mater. Res. 22(3) (2019)
P. Côté, M.E. Larouche, X.G. Chen et al., New developments with the SEED technology. Solid State Phenom. 192(3), 373–378 (2012)Article Google Scholar
I. Dumanić, S. Jozić, D. Bajić et al., Optimization of semi-solid high-pressure die casting process by computer simulation, Taguchi method and grey relational analysis. Inter Metalcast. 15, 108–118 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-020-00422-5 Article Google Scholar
Y. Bai et al., Numerical simulation on the rheo-diecasting of the semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater. 16, 422 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1674-4799(09)60074-1 CAS Article Google Scholar
B.C. Bhunia, Studies on die filling of A356 Al alloy and development of a steering knuckle component using rheo pressure die casting system. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 271, 293–311 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2019.04.014 CAS Article Google Scholar
A. Guo, J. Zhao, C. Xu et al., Effects of pouring temperature and electromagnetic stirring on porosity and mechanical properties of A357 aluminum alloy rheo-diecasting. J. Mater. Eng. Perform. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-018-3310-1 Article Google Scholar
C.G. Kang, S.M. Lee, B.M. Kim, A study of die design of semi-solid die casting according to gate shape and solid fraction. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 204(1–3), 8–21 (2008)CAS Article Google Scholar
Z. Liu, W. Mao, T. Wan et al., Study on semi-solid A380 aluminum alloy slurry prepared by water-cooling serpentine channel and its rheo-diecasting. Met. Mater. Int. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12540-020-00672-2 Article Google Scholar
Z.Y. Liu, W.M. Mao, W.P. Wang et al., Investigation of rheo-diecasting mold filling of semi-solid A380 aluminum alloy slurry. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater. 24(006), 691–700 (2017)CAS Article Google Scholar
M. Arif, M.Z. Omar, N. Muhamad et al., Microstructural evolution of solid-solution-treated Zn–22Al in the semisolid state. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 29(008), 765–774 (2013)CAS Article Google Scholar

Keywords

semi-solid rheo-die casting
gating system
process parameters
numerical simulation
microstructure