Electromagnetic stirring with alternating current during electroslag remelting

An alternating current (AC)-operated electromagnetic stirring (EMS) device, using line frequency, was designed and built to operate on a laboratory electroslag remelting (ESR) furnace for 150-mm-diameter ingots. Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted employing both 4340 alloy steel and INCONEL 718 alloy as electrode material. The initiation of stirring is accompanied by a thin strip of segregated material and favors the formation of spot segregation. Changes produced in the fluid flow conditions in the liquid pool ahead of the solidification front result in a transition from a highly directional columnar to an unoriented, branched structure. Except for small pockets of segregated liquid, the flow of molten metal does not penetrate into the mushy zone. Both electrode material and molten metal pool shape play an important role on the extent of promoting an equiaxed structure.