Numerical model for microsegregation in ductile iron

Abstract

A numerical, non-steady state microsolute redistribution model is presented for ductile iron. The model takes into account solute diffusion in the solid and liquid phases, interface movement, a non-linear growth rate for the austenite phase and total solute conservation in the microvolume sphere. Preliminary calculations show that interface movement can be ignored and a linear austenite growth rate can be used for solidification conditions occurring during directional solidification experiments and keel block solidification. The numerical calculations of the solute distribution in the liquid and solid phases show reasonable agreement with the available experimental measurements.