Dissolution of Ti–N inclusions in liquid titanium during electron beam melting

The dissolution of Ti–N solids in liquid titanium was investigated using experimental and numerical methods. To characterize the dissolution rate and the transport phenomena associated with the dissolution process, cylindrical Ti–N rods were immersed into a molten pool of commercially pure titanium produced using an electron beam button furnace. Tests were conducted for various immersion times to observe the evolution in the rod tip profile and measure the volume loss. Generally, the volume fraction of dissolved solid increases with increasing immersion time. A numerical model has been developed to describe the experimental process and aid in understanding the dissolution process. Overall, the predicted volume loss for different immersion times agrees well with the experimental measurements. An effective mass transfer coefficient, in the range of 4.2 × 10−5 to 4.9 × 10−5 m/s, has been derived based on the model results for the experimental conditions examined (e.g. interface velocities and temperatures in the range of 0.09 – 0.11 m/s, and 1766 – 1778 °C, respectively).