11. Water Analogy Experiment on the Multi-concentration Pouring Process of a 585 Ton Steel Ingot

Multi-concentration pouring is applied to reduce the macrosegregation in heavy ingots in production, in which ladles with different carbon contents are used to realize initial inverse macrosegregation after pouring so as to offset the macrosegregation occurring during solidification. However, it’s not yet clear how carbon redistributes in the melt during pouring. A water analogy experiment platform was constructed to investigate the carbon transportation during pouring for heavy steel ingots. The pouring of a 585t steel ingot by five ladles of different carbon contents was investigated by water analogy method. Methyl blue was adopted as solute. Array of 24 probes were used to measure the solute concentration at different locations in the ingot mold. The results show that an initial inverse macrosegregation of carbon is achieved at the end of pouring, positive segregation at the bottom and negative at the top. But, mixing happens in both tundish and ingot mold during filling, therefore, the bottom positive segregation is only a half of the designed one based on the carbon content difference of the ladles.