A 3D granular model of equiaxed-granular solidification

The solidification of an aluminum-copper alloy has been simulated in 3D using a granular model. Compared to previous similar 2D approaches for where only one phase is continuous, the extension to 3D allows for concurrent continuity of the solid and liquid phases. This concurrent continuity is a key factor in the formation of the solidification defect known as hot tearing. In this 3D model, grains are modeled as polyhedrons based on a Voronoi tessellation of a pseudorandom set of nucleation centers. Solidification within each polyhedron is calculated using a back-diffusion model. By performing a series of simulations over a range of grain sizes and cooling rates, the percolation of the solid grains is determined. The results, which indicate that the grain size and cooling rates play an important role in hot tear formation, constitute a basis on which feeding and deformation calculations will be carried out further.