On the Formation of Macrosegregation and Interdendritic Cracks During Dendritic Solidification of Continuous Casting of Steel

The aim of the current article is to elucidate the significant effects of macrosegregation distribution and its level on the different stages of interdendritic crack formation during dendritic solidification in continuously cast steel slabs. Couple formations of macrosegregation and interdendritic crack phenomena during dendritic solidification of peritectic carbon steels have been investigated by metallographic study of collected slab samples and by performing a set of mathematical analyses. The metallographic study involved plant trails to measure slab surface temperature of different secondary spray cooling conditions. Also, macro-microexaminations, measurements of dendrite arm spacing, macrosegregation analysis, and interdendritic distance between the dendrites of collected samples from plant trials have been performed. The experimental results show a fluctuation of carbon segregation with respect to distance from slab surface. These results also reveal that the interdendritic cracks vary with this fluctuation in various nano, macro, and microscales based on the cooling conditions. A mathematical model of heat transfer, solidification, structure evolution, interdendritic strain, macrosegregation, and elementary interdendritic area "EIA" has been developed. This model takes also into account the calculating of interdendritic distance between the dendrites "IDD" to evaluate the interdendritic crack width. The model predictions of different thermal and solidification phenomena show a good agreement with measurements. The results pointed out also that the coupled effect of interdendritic strain and macrosegregation phenomena and their distributions can be considered as the most important tools to evaluate the surface and internal interdendritic cracks in continuously cast steel slabs. The formation mechanisms of different types of interdendritic crack with interdendritic strain patterns and fluctuation of macrosegregation levels during various cooling zones have been explained, and the possible solutions to these problems have been discussed. (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2014