Computational simulation of microstructure evolution during solidification of ductile cast iron

Abstract

This paper presents a thermomicrostructural model for the simulation of the solidification process of an eutectic ductile cast iron. The thermal balance is written at a macroscopic level and takes into account both the structural component being cast and its mould. Models of nucleation and growth represent the evolution of the microstructure, and the microsegregation of silicon is also considered. The resulting formulation is solved using a finite element discretisation of the macrodomain, in which the evolution of the microstructure is taken into account at the Gauss integration points. The numerical results are presented in terms of cooling curves and are compared with available experimental values. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the response with respect to changes in the cooling rate and nucleation parameters are investigated. The agreement between experimental and computational values is acceptable in both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Ways to improve the computational model are suggested.