Evolution of eutectic spacing during unidirectional solidification of Al-Ni alloys

• Main Authors: Igor Jefferson Cabral Araujo, Bismarck Luiz da Silva, José Eduardo Spinelli, Amauri Garcia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Metalurgia e Materiais (ABM); Associação Brasileira de Cerâmica (ABC); Associação Brasileira de Polímeros (ABPol) 2011-01-01
• Series: Materials Research
• Subjects: Al-Ni alloys; eutectics; unidirectional solidification; interphase spacing
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-14392011000200021

Hypoeutectic Al-Ni alloys show a ductile phase α distributed with a β phase Al3Ni fragile where β serves as reinforcement of the structure of the material. The eutectic composition alloys obey the relationship: λ2.v = C, where λ is the eutectic spacing, v is a tip growth rate and C is a constant. The aim of this study is to establish correlations between λ and v for hypoeutectic Al-1%, 3% and 5% Ni alloys. Unsteady-state upward directional solidification experiments were performed, as well as metallography, dissolution of the aluminum matrix and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The interphase spacing of the three Al-Ni alloys decreased with increasing tip growth rate, with a predominance of a rod-like morphology on intermetallic. It was observed that parameters such as tip growth rate, cooling rate and temperature gradient decreases as the solidification front advances. It was further observed that a single experimental law λ = 1.2 v-0, 5 illustrates the evolution of the interphase spacing for any examined alloy.