On the length-scale and location of channel nucleation in directional solidification

This work provides evidence that channels in directionally solidified hypoeutectic Pb-Sn alloys nucleate at the dendrite tips. Using a finite-element simulator, distinctive 'convective signatures' are shown to exist for convectively unstable cases, where the instability of a system is shown to be largely a function of the thickness of an inverted density layer that exists ahead of the moving solidification front. With D the diffusion coefficient in the melt and V the solidification rate, the thickness of this layer, and therefore the stability of the systems studied, is shown to be a function of the length scale D/ V, where it is shown that channeling can be turned on or off simply by changing this length scale. This work also validates a finite element model of dendritic solidification by comparing predicted results to data resulting from eleven directionally solidified hypoeutectic Pb-Sn samples, which were produced under various thermal gradients and solidification rates. For all but one of the cases, which was thought to be borderline between channeling and not channeling, predictions of whether channel defects formed were supported by experiments. Finally, it was determined that, while the strength of the convection in the overlying liquid depends on the square root of its height, one need not model the entire domain to predict channel defects.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Graduate College

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Arizona.

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Frueh, Christian

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Poirier, David R.

• Engineering, Mechanical.
• Engineering, Metallurgy.
• Engineering, Materials Science.

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289787

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/289787