A Scheil–Gulliver model dedicated to the solidification of steel

Abstract Modelling of solidification is of industrial and theoretical relevance. An accurate estimation of the actual liquidus and solidus temperatures leads to significant improvements in quality and efficiency of steel production as well as substantially reduces the energy consumption and the ecological footprint. An optimisation of the Scheil–Gulliver model for solidification with the aim to predict the solidus temperature of steels (Scheil–Gulliver for Steel, SGS) is presented. The SGS model allows an easy and accurate simulation of the solidification interval using software based on the CALPHAD approach. Based only on the steel composition, the model consistently choses between full equilibrium for ferrite and partial redistribution of alloying elements (Scheil–Gulliver approach) for austenite. The predictions of the model were compared to differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements of industrial heats, which represent a wide range of compositions. The agreement of the data calculated with the SGS model with the values measured by DTA represents an improvement compared to existing models.