Prediction of solidification path of cast irons using thermodynamic databases in a commercial FEM package

This paper describes an interface between a thermodynamic calculation of phase diagram parameters for multicomponent alloys and a micromodel for calculation of fraction solid and enthalpy in the preprocessing module of a commercial FEM software package, This calculation can be performed under LEVER (equilibrium), SCHEIL (complete diffusion in liquid and no diffusion in solid), and BACK-DIFFUSION (complete liquid mixing with solid diffusion for a fixed cooling rate) conditions. The calculated data can be used as thermophysical properties for a subsequent solidification modeling study of a casting. Simulation studies are performed on three high-Cr white cast irons using SCHEIL and LEVER models. A general agreement is found while comparing thermal parameters, carbide volume fractions, and types of phases that appear between simulated and published experimental data. This study also highlights the potential experimental error and limitation.