A 2-D FINITE ELEMENT MODEL SIMULATION OF THE MELTING PROCESS OF Al-Ti ALLOY IN VACUUM INDUCTION FURNACE WITH COLD CRUCIBLE (VIFCC)

The development of a numerical model for the melting process of Al-Ti alloy target material in vacuum induction furnace with cold crucible (VIFCC) was described. It is a two-dimensional computational methodology to calculate electromagnetic field, heat transfer field and fluid flow field. Based on the aid of the finite element method with the commercial software—ANSYS, a superimposition method of a layer of copper and a slit to simulate the VIFCC melting process was used. The method was effective to save large quantity of memory and computing time. Meanwhile, a temperature distribution profile during the melting process was obtained. Validity of the model was confirmed by comparison between the result from calculation and those from direct measurement by optical pyrometer and indirect investigation by ingot macrostructure. A relatively good agreement was found. Further, a nearly directional solidification structure was obtained under properly controlling the cooling rate and heating power. Therefore, such model developed in this article is feasible. KEY WORDS VIFCC, ANSYS, superimposition, ingot macrostructure 1