In Situ Quantification of Micro-Segregation that Occurs During the Solidification of Steel

We present a method for the in situ quantification of micro‐segregation during the solidification of steel by using high‐temperature laser‐scanning confocal microscopy (HTLSCM). A newly developed experimental technique that has been developed for HTLSCM has been utilized to investigate the effect of different alloying elements and cooling rates on the solidification behavior of steel. An automated quantitative measurement of the fractions of solid and liquid during solidification is used to calculate the average phase concentrations by applying a simple mass balance. The results of these analyses are in very good agreement with simulations carried out by using the commercial software package DICTRA. We present a method for the in situ quantification of micro‐segregation during the solidification of steel by using HTLSCM in combination with the concentric solidification technique. Investigations of the influence of different alloying elements and cooling rates on the solidification behavior of steel are conducted and benchmarked against computational modeling results.