The solidification structure of 6.5%Si steel ingot was simulated based on the cellular automaton–finite element (CAFE) method and compared with an actual casting. The results showed that both the average grain size and proportion of columnar crystals agreed well with the experimental ones. The parameters suitable for simulating the microstructure of 6.5%Si steel ingot were determined. The influence of superheat and cooling conditions on the solidification structure was also studied in detail. The results show that the proportion of columnar crystals decreases with decreasing superheat, and the average grain size becomes smaller. The microstructure under the condition of slow cooling is finer than of air cooling.
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