Numerical Simulation of Temperature and Fluid Fields in Solidification Process of Ferritic Stainless Steel under Vibration Conditions

A three-dimensional model of a circular casting mold with a vibrating nucleus generator was established, and the characteristics of temperature and flow fields during the solidification process of ferritic stainless steel Cr17 in the casting mold were analyzed using finite element and finite difference methods. A standard k-ε turbulent current model was adopted to simulate the temperature field, and a standard k-ε model in Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) was employed to deal with the flow field. The temperature field diffuses outward with a positive temperature gradient. Low degrees of undercooling can prevent solidified shells from forming rapidly on the surface of the nucleus generator. The temperature perpendicular to the direction of vibration is lower than that in the direction of vibration. The flow field exhibits a heart-shaped distribution and spreads gradually outward. The uniform distribution of grains can be achieved at three different frequencies of vibration. The results show that the degree of undercooling affects the distribution of the temperature field while the frequency of vibration affects the flow field significantly. Under the conditions of undercooling of 540 K and vibration frequency of 1000 Hz, the region perpendicular to the vibration direction of the nucleus generator is the optimum area for equiaxed crystal formation.