Effect of Vibrating Electrode on Inclusion Transport Behavior in the Electroslag Remelting Process

A transient 2D laboratory‐scale integrated model is developed to investigate the effects of vibrating electrode (VE) on the inclusion transport behavior in the electroslag remelting (ESR) process of superalloy. Vibration process of the electrode was simulated by a user‐defined function and dynamic mesh, the behavior of inclusions is analyzed by the Lagrangian approach. The accuracy of the model is thoroughly validated by the additional pilot‐scale experiments. The results indicate that the removal rate of inclusions is higher in the VE‐ESR process, and that appropriately increasing the electrode amplitude and current intensity is beneficial for inclusion removal. The total inclusion removal rate reached a maximum of 92.77% and 96.50% at an amplitude of 3 mm and a current intensity of 1800 A, respectively. At a vibration frequency of 0.5 Hz, the maximum removal rate is 94.91%. Increasing the slag layer thickness has a positive effect on the removal of large‐sized inclusions, while increasing the electrode filling ratio enhances the removal rate of small‐sized inclusions.