Abstract 

Failure analysis is performed in electrolytic tough pitch copper plates that have been severely fractured during the initial hot rolling passes. A comprehensive investigation was conducted, including mainly macroscopic examination, fractographic and metallographic evaluation. Moreover, numerical simulation of the solidification front using a computational fluid dynamics software was also employed to analyze the influence of the variation of casting parameters on the solidification front development. Fracture areas manifested poor ductility, while in many cases a prior cast pattern consisting of coarsely solidified dendritic crystals was revealed. The obtained evidence is suggestive of microstructural embrittlement caused by the synergistic contribution of the manufacturing process conditions and the potential elemental and particle segregation, such as cuprous oxide aggregation, that might promote failure susceptibility.