This study is focused on determining the possible root causes for cracking after open die forging of large size ingots made of high nickel medium carbon low alloy steels. Optical and scanning electron microscopies as well as Energy Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS) were used to examine the microstructure of the samples taken out of a cracked forged ingot. The large size of the samples permitted to investigate microstructure at different locations at the surface and in depth. Chemical analysis revealed chromium and oxygen enrichment at the grain boundaries. Grain size measurement indicated clear differences between "clean" surface zones and cracked ones, and between surface and in depth regions. The analyses indicated that fracture phenomena may be due to abnormal grain size which promotes oxide penetration into grain boundaries, resulting in their embrittlement and cracking upon cooling.

Finite element modeling (FEM) validated by experimental work was used to simulate the influence of thermomechanical shrinkage on macrosegregation of alloying elements in a large size ingot of high strength steel. The full algorithms of the filling and solidification process for thermohydraulic and thermomechanic analyses were developed and implemented in the 3D FEM code Thercast ® . Material properties were determined by a combination of experimental works, thermodynamic software Thermo-Calc ® , a database and literature source. It was predicted that thermomechanical shrinkage decreased the temperature gradients, advanced the initiation of solidification and reduced the solidification time. The above changes resulted in less severe segregation along the centerline, in the zone next to the ingot surface, in the upper section of the ingot and in the hot-top. Thermomechanic model predictions were proved to agree better with experimental results than the thermohydraulic one. The obtained results were interpreted in the framework of the theories on diffusion and solidification of alloyed systems. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of thermomechanical shrinkage in ingot cooling process. They could also be used in industry to improve the quality of large size ingot production and the productivity of high value added steels or other alloys.

The effect of filling velocity on positive macrosegregation in large size steel ingots was studied. Macrosegregation and macro/microstructures were characterized on the hot-tops and a portion of the upper section of two ingots. The measurements revealed that segregation features in the two ingots varied as a function of the alloying elements, and that the severity of positive macrosegregation in the casting body was reduced when the filling rate was increased. It was also found that at the higher filling rate, grain morphologies in the first solidified zones of the ingot changed from columnar to equiaxe, and secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) became slightly smaller in the intermediate and final solidified zones. The experimental findings were analyzed in the framework of diffusion and convection-controlled solidification, as well as liquid metal flow theories. The solute dependence of segregation features was related to the difference in the solid-liquid partition coefficient and diffusion capability of each element in the liquid iron. Calculation of Reynolds numbers (Re) during the filling process, for both ingots, showed that higher filling velocity caused more instable movement of the liquid metal in the initial solidification stage, resulting in the modification of grain morphology, as well as accelerated solidification rate.

The effect of the hot top height on the formation of positive and negative macrosegregation patterns, the ingot quality, and the material yield during solidification of a 12 MT cast ingot made of a Cr-Mo-low alloy steel was investigated. A 3D numerical simulation of the process was conducted using finite element modeling. A full-size 12 MT ingot was cut off from its center in the longitudinal direction, and a large cross-section was sliced into small samples. The chemical mapping of all the elements in the steel composition was obtained for all samples and compared with the model predictions for validation purposes. The influence of the increase in hot top height on the liquid metal velocity field, size and shape of vortexes, cooling rate of the liquid, and liquidus temperature was determined. Results revealed that increasing the hot top height by 165 mm increased the solidification time, fluid velocity in regions including the hot top and ingot bottom, and decreased the local liquidus temperature. The combination of all the above resulted in an overall decrease in positive and negative macrosegregation of more than 6% and an increase in ingot quality. The results are interpreted based on the interactions between the transport of solute and heat coupled with the flow driven by thermo-solutal convection and shrinkage-induced flow.

In the present work, the influence of filling rate on macrosegregation in a 40-Metric Ton (MT) ingot of a high-strength low-carbon steel was studied using finite element (FE) simulation. The modelling of the filling and solidification processes were realized with a two-phase (liquid-solid) multiscale 3D model. The liquid flow induced by the pouring jet, the thermosolutal convection, and the thermomechanical deformation of the solid phase were taken into consideration. Two filling rates were examined, representing the upper and lower manufacturing limits for casting of large size ingots made of high strength steels for applications in energy and transportation industries. The evolution of solute transport, as well as its associated phenomena throughout the filling and cooling stages, were also investigated. It was found that increasing the filling rate reduced macrosegregation intensity in the upper section, along the centerline and in the mid-radius regions of the ingot. The results were analyzed in the framework of heat and mass transfer theories, liquid flow dynamics, and macrosegregation formation mechanisms.