APPLICATIONS OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELING ON VACUUM ARC REMELTING (VAR) AND PLASMA ARC MELTING (PAM) PROCESSES OF TITANIUM ALLOYS

摘要

Finite element modeling (FEM) simulations have been widely used to benefit various manufacturing applications. At RTI-AIT, process modeling capability has been utilized efficiently to help support not only product & process development, but also day-today production. One of the major focuses is on melting of titanium alloys. This paper describes process modeling applications of Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) and Plasma Arc Melting (PAM). For VAR, various process parameters could be analyzed using commercial modeling software to determine the best solution to resolve different types of problems, such as alloy segregation and shrinkage pipe. In a demonstrated application, process capability had been significantly improved through modifications of aim formulation and electrode orientation in melting production of Ti-662. For PAM, thermal-mechanical simulations have been conducted to help development in the designs of melting equipment and to set up process window through information of the predicted molten pools, temperature profiles, and cooling rates.