Search

Taking Fe-0.15wt%C-0.8wt%Mn steel as the research object, in situ observations of the δ phase growth process during solidification were conducted by using a high-temperature confocal scanning laser microscope (HTCSLM). The effects of the solid/liquid (S/L) interface’s shape, temperature, and curvature radius on the lateral growth rate of δ phase were investigated in detail, and the relational expression among the lateral growth rate of δ phase, temperature, and curvature radius of column-shaped δ phase was deduced for the carbon steel during solidification. The results indicate the growth rate of the concave-shaped S/L interface is larger than that of the convex-shaped S/L interface during the beginning growth of δ phase, but these two kinds of growth rates gradually approach with proceeding in solidification. The calculated lateral growth rate of δ phase is consistent with the experimental result at a cooling rate of 0.045°C/s.

The lateral wall stabilities during the growing process of cellular crystal in the melt were studied in this article. The dynamics equation of cylindrical solid-liquid interface morphological stabilities in melt was first derived, and then the expression of criterion for cylindrical solid-liquid interface morphological stabilities was defined. The effect of the shape factor, solid radius, and other relevant factors on the morphological stabilities was analyzed. Also, the critical shape factor and critical growth rate for keeping the stabilities of the interface were determined. The phenomenon during the lateral growth process of δ-phase cellular crystal in carbon steel was observed under a high-temperature confocal scanning laser microscope (HTCSLM), which was used to verify the theoretical analysis and calculated results. The results indicate that the shape factor is beneficial to improving the stabilities of the cellular crystal lateral wall. During the increase process of the cellular crystal radius, however, there is a certain value of the cellular crystal radius, which induces the shape factor to reduce stabilities of the cellular crystal lateral wall rapidly. Even if the other conditions are unchanged, the shape of the cellular crystal may also cause the cellular crystal lateral wall to lose its stabilities. There are two critical growth rates to keep the cellular crystal lateral wall growing stably under the conditions of this research. For the Fe-0.15 pct C-0.8 pct Mn alloy, these two critical growth rates are 10−4 and 10 cm/s orders of magnitude, respectively. The difference between them is more than 105 times, so the slow critical growth rate conforms to the actual critical growth rate. The radius of the cellular crystal is the main influencing factor of lateral wall stabilities. The bigger the radius of the cellular crystal is, the worse the stabilities of the lateral wall are. That is also one of the reasons that the fine cellular crystal can survive during a certain period. The results of the theoretical analysis about stabilities of the cellular crystal lateral wall agree well with the lateral growth phenomena of δ phase cellular crystal in carbon steel observed by a HTCSLM. The theoretically calculated results of the radial critical growth rates are coincident with the experimental results.