This article provides an overview of the studies on computational modeling of the vacuum arc remelting (VAR) and electroslag remelting (ESR) processes. These models involve the axisymmetric analysis of the electromagnetic, flow, heat-transfer, and phase-change phenomena to predict the pool shape and thermal history of an ingot using two-dimensional axisymmetric models for VAR and ESR. Analysis of segregation of alloying elements during solidification that gives rise to macrolevel compositional nonuniformity in titanium alloy ingots is also described. The article discusses the important features of the control-volume-based computational method to review the unique aspects of the processes. Measurement of the properties of alloys and slags is explained and an analysis of the process variants for improving the predictive accuracy of the models is presented.

Electroslag remelting (ESR) is commonly used to produce the highest levels of quality in plate steels, particularly in thick plates. This article provides an overview of the ESR and discusses the major components and operations of the ESR furnaces. It describes the principles of ingot solidification and the various defects of remelted ingot such as tree ring patterns, freckles, and white spots. The article explains several variations of ESR such as pressure electroslag remelting, remelting under reduced pressure, and electroslag rapid remelting. It also examines the features of steel ESR and superalloy ESR.

Electron spin resonance (ESR), or electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), is an analytical technique that can extract a great deal of information from any material containing unpaired electrons. This article explains how ESR works and where it applies in materials characterization. It describes a typical ESR spectrometer and explains how to tune it to optimize critical electromagnetic interactions in the test sample. It also identifies compounds and elements most suited for ESR analysis and explains how to extract supplementary information from test samples based on the time it takes electrons to return to equilibrium from their resonant state. Two of the most common methods for measuring this relaxation time are presented as are several application examples.