Experiments on the solidification structure of alloy castings

Two related experimental programs on the solidification structure of alloy castings are reported. In the first, the grain structure of catalytically clean Ni?Cu alloys is examined as a function of the degree of supercooling below the equilibrium liquidus. For supercoolings greater than 85°C, the Ni?Cu alloys exhibit a structure which is in accord with previous observations in pure nickel,i. e., the structure is found to be coarse and dendritic in the range 85° to 150°C supercooling, but fine and equiaxed for supercoolings greater than 150°C. However, in the lower range of supercooling (<85°C) the structure is fine and equiaxed. It is concluded that solute elements can promote grain formation in certain castings at supercoolings insufficient to cause heterogeneous nucleation. To study the effect of solute elements on the structure of a solidifying material, castings of pure nickel and aluminum are compared with binary alloys of these base materials. Over the composition ranges studied in both alloy systems, the structure is observed to be related to a parameter which includes the slope of the liquidus, the bulk solute concentration, and the solute distribution coefficient. It is shown or is argued that heterogeneous nucleants are not involved and therefore another mechanism must be operating in determining the structure. In any event, these latter experiments suggest that an effective means of controlling the structure of castings is by appropriate selection of alloying additions on the basis of the alloy variables contained in such a parameter.