Analysis of an EBeam melting process
Electron-Beam (EBeam) melting furnaces are routinely used to minimize the occurrence of second-phase particles in the processing of segregation-sensitive alloys. As one part of the process, a circulating electron beam impinges the surface of a crucible melt pool to help control the shape of the solidification front below. By modeling melt pool hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and the shape of solidification boundaries, we plan to optimize the dwell pattern of the beam so that the material solidifies with a composition as spatially homogeneous as possible. Both two-and three-dimensional models are being pursued with FIDAP 5.02, the former serving as a test bed for various degrees of model sophistication. A heat flux distribution is specified on the top of the domain to simulate the EBeam dwell pattern. In two dimensions it is found that an inertially-driven recirculation in the melt pool interacts with a counter-rotating buoyancy-driven recirculation, and that both recirculation influence heavily the shape of the solidification front. In three dimensions the inertial cell decays quickly with distance from the position of the inlet stream. Because the Rayleigh number can exceed 10{sup 7} for materials and operating conditions of interest, stability and the possibility of spontaneous transients are explored. 1 refs., 3 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 5872603
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-90-2789C; CONF-9104202--2; ON: DE91010855
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
360101 -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
42 ENGINEERING
420200* -- Engineering-- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
ALLOYS
ELECTRON BEAM FURNACES
ELECTRON BEAM MELTING
ENERGY TRANSFER
FURNACES
HEAT TRANSFER
MELTING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SEGREGATION
SOLIDIFICATION