Numerical Modeling of Grain Structure in Continuous Casting of Steel

A numerical model is developed for the simulation of solidification grain structure formation (equiaxed to columnar and columnar to equiaxed transitions) during the continuous casting process of steel billets. The cellular automata microstructure model is combined with the macroscopic heat transfer model. The cellular automata method is based on the Nastac's definition of neighborhood, Gaussian nucleation rule, and KGT growth model. The heat transfer model is solved by the meshless technique by using local collocation with radial basis functions. The microscopic model parameters have been adjusted with respect to the experimental data for steel 51CrMoV4. Simulations have been carried out for nominal casting conditions, reduced casting temperature, and reduced casting speed. Proper response of the multiscale model with respect to the observed grain structures has been proved.