| 2026 №03 (07) | 2026 №03 (02) |
"Suchasna Elektrometallurgiya" (Electrometallurgy Today), 2026, #3, 3-10 pages
Power distribution of electron beam heating in the mold during EBCHM ingot-slab melting
V.O. Berezos
, S.V. Akhonin, O.H. Yerokhin, Ye.I. Lipchanchuk, Yu.T. Ishchuk
E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NAS of Ukraine
11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine.
E-mail: titan.paton@gmail.com
Abstract
The production of rectangular titanium slabs via electron beam cold hearth melting is a highly efficient alternative to conventional vacuum arc remelting. It completely eliminates the capital-intensive stage of hot breakdown forging and increases the material utilization coefficient (yield) from 0.65 to 0.90. However, the rectangular geometry of the mold creates a zone of two-dimensional heat dissipation into the water-cooled copper walls. According to modeling data, the local heat flux in the corner zones is 1.4–1.7 times higher than on the flat sections of the perimeter. Thermal supercooling of the meniscus poses a risk of casting defects, such as skull foldovers, deep ripples, and diagonal lacks of fusion. To compensate for edge effects, a comprehensive study was conducted to substantiate and optimize the space-time scanning parameters of the peripheral electron beam during the melting of Ti–6Al–4V alloy slabs. It is demonstrated that introducing a 0.5 s technological delay of the peripheral beam in the corner coordinates of the trajectory represents an optimal compromise. At a beam power of 54 kW and a peak specific density of 5.48 kW/cm2, this mode provides a cycle-averaged power density in the corner at 0.82 kW/cm2. Experimental verification confirmed the formation of smooth slab corners, entirely free from casting defects, skull foldovers, lacks of fusion, and ripples. 16 Ref., 2 Tabl., 13 Fig.
Keywords: beam melting, cold hearth, slab, titanium alloy, power, technological modes
Received: 02.07.2026
Received in revised form: 09.07.2026
Accepted: 14.07.2026
Posted online: 24.07.2026
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