Solute segregation affected by transport properties during a bubble entrapment in upward solidification

Abstract

Abstract The effects of transport properties on segregation of a dissolvable gas, for example, carbon dioxide in water in the presence of an entrapping bubble during upward unidirectional solidification is numerically investigated. Microporosity and inter-related solute segregation are two common defects detrimental to mechanical properties of components, especially to fatigue performance, strength, and ductility. In this work, transport processes between the bubble, liquid, and solid affected by mass, momentum, energy, and concentration equations are solved by finite element schemes provided from the commercial COMSOL code. The results find that solute concentration in solid and liquid surrounding the pore increases with decreasing Henry's law constant and gravitational acceleration, and increasing surface tension surrounding pressure and solid thermal conductivity. Solute gas concentration on the top free surface is insensitive to that in the pore rather than that in liquid and solid away from the pore. Apex cap becomes non-spherical affecting solidification rate and shape of the solidification front as ambient pressure at the top free surface and gravitational acceleration increase. Contact angle versus location of the solidification front predicted from this work and Abel's equation agrees well. Solute segregation encountered by pore formation is controllable.