Determination of the solidus and liquidus temperatures of the real-steel grades with dynamic thermal-analysis methods

Abstract

The knowledge of the solidus and liquidus temperatures of the real-steel grades is one of the most important technological factors – especially when dealing with the processes of casting and solidification. These temperatures are critical parameters for proper settings of the models (physical or numerical) or in the final stage of an applied research of a real process. A correct setting of a production technology is significantly affecting the final quality of the as-cast steel (billets or ingots). Therefore, this paper is devoted to discussing the findings obtained during a utilization of dynamic thermal-analysis methods to identify the solidus and liquidus temperatures applicable to commercially produced steels. The results obtained with a differential thermal analysis (DTA) for three steel grades and with 3D differential scanning calorimetry (3D DSC) for two steel grades are compared with the results of the selected equations commonly used for liquidus and/or solidus temperature calculations. The calculations obtained with the Computherm SW for the discussed steels were also realized. It can be stated that the equilibrium liquidus and solidus temperatures obtained with the above-mentioned methods for each steel grade differ. The differences between the calculated results, the thermodynamic calculations and thermal-analysis results are very unpredictable and vary individually for different steels. These differences are not marginal (tens of Celsius degrees). So, it is sometimes suitable to combine several methods for a proper determination of the liquidus and solidus temperatures for a correct setting of a steel-making process or its modelling. The best solution for a technological process is to obtain the liquidus and solidus temperatures for a concrete-steel grade from a given steelmaking practice – a thermal analysis of a concrete-steel grade is a possible way.