The directional solidification enables independently control of the holding temperature and withdrawal rate over a given range. This technology was used to investigate the precipitation behaviour of oxide in aerospace bearing steel M50NiL. Most of the oxides are Si–Al–Mn–Ti–O complex inclusions with spherical shape. With the increase of withdrawal rate, the size and volume fraction of oxides decrease. In contrast, the diameter and volume fraction increase remarkably with the increase of holding temperature. The composition of oxides with different sizes varies with holding temperature. The holding temperature of 1550°C accompanied with a cooling rate over 95.7°C min−1 is deemed as the optimal solidification parameters for M50NiL steel, which can significantly reduce the size and volume fraction of oxides.
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