NEAR RAPID DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION AND ITS SUPERFINE MICROSTRUCTURE

This paper briefly reviews the recent research on the near rapid directional solidification and microstructure superfining. The morphology transitions and the corresponding mechanical properties are presented. The critical velocities relevant to the morphology transitions are comprehensively given. Meanwhile the solidification characteristics near absolute stability limit are studied.It can be clearly seen that the superfine microstructures possess extremely better properties compared with the conventional microstructures.

Rapid directional solidification in Sn-Cu lead-free solder

An experimental study on the microstructures of a rapid directionally solidified metallo-eutectic Sn-Cu alloy was carried out. This material is an important alloy that is used as a lead-free solder. The results showed that the kinetic undercooling due to the rapid solidification process led to the formation of a pseudoeutectic zone, whereas the hypereutectic reaction produced the regular lamellar structure in the hypereutectic Sn-1.0Cu alloy. The corresponding arm spacing in the obtained lamellar phases decreased gradually with the increase of the applied cooling rate, which corresponded well with the prediction of a rapid directional solidification model.

Effect of TiB_(2)Nanoparticles on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ni_(60)Cr_(21)Fe_(19)Alloy in Rapid Directional Solidification Process:Molecular Dynamics Study

Molecular dynamics(MD)simulations are employed to delve into the multifaceted effects of TiB2 nanoparticles on the intricate grain refinement mechanism,microstructural evolution,and tensile performance of Inconel 718 superalloys during the rapid directional solidification.Specifically,the study focuses on elucidating the role of TiB2 nanoparticles in augmenting the nucleation rate during the rapid directional solidification process of Ni60Cr21Fe19 alloy system.Furthermore,subsequent tensile simulations are conducted to comprehensively evaluate the anisotropic behavior of tensile properties within the solidified microstructures.The MD results reveal that the incorporation of TiB₂nanoparticles during the rapid directional solidification of the Ni_(60)Cr_(21)Fe_(19)significantly enhances the average nucleation rate,escalating it from 1.27×10^(34)m^(-3)·s^(-1)to 2.55×10^(34)m^(-3)·s^(-1).Notably,within the face centered cube(FCC)structure,Ni atoms exhibit pronounced compositional segregation,and the solidified alloy maintains an exceptionally high dislocation density reaching up to 10^(16)m^(-2).Crucially,the rapid directional solidification process imparts a distinct microstructural anisotropy,leading to a notable disparity in tensile strength.Specifically,the tensile strength along the solidification direction is markedly superior to that perpendicular to it.This disparity arises from different deformation mechanisms under varying loading orientations.Tensile stress perpendicular to the solidification direction encourages the formation of smooth and organized mechanical twins.These twins act as slip planes,enhancing dislocation mobility and thereby improving stress relaxation and dispersion.Moreover,the results underscore the profound strengthening effect of TiB2 nanoparticles,particularly in enhancing the tensile strength along the rapid directional solidification direction.

Solidification Behavior of Immiscible Alloys under the Effect of a Direct Current

Directional solidification experiments were carried out with Al-Pb alloys under the effect of a direct current （DC）. The experimental results show that the DC causes a migration of the minority phase droplets （MPDs） from the middle part to the surface region of the sample, Samples with either a finely dispersed microstructure or a shell/ core structure were obtained by solidifying the alloy under the effect of the properly selected DC densities, A model was developed to describe the microstructure evolution in an immiscible alloy directionaliy solidified under the effect of the DC. The microstructure formation in the AI-Pb alloys was calculated. The numerical results are in favorable agreement with the experimental ones. They demonstrate that the DC affects the microstructure formation mainly through changing the spatial motions of the MPDs and the temperature field of the melt in front of the solid/liquid interface. The formation mechanisms of the finely dispersed microstructure as well as the shell/core structure were sufficiently clarified.