In-situ Observation of Growth and Melting of a Solid Particle Using Transparent Organic Alloys

Abstract

Seed crystal for equiaxed grain may be suffered from the temperature change in the liquid phase. Seed crystal may grow and/or melt depending on the thermal field. In order to analyze the growth and melting of a solid particle, in-situ observation using succinonitrile-water alloys with the newly constructed experimental equipment have been performed. In the central region of the ring heater, a small spherical solid particle is held for a while. When the voltage for the ring heater was abruptly changed, the solid particle grew or melted. The morphological change was recorded and analyzed.
In case of growth, it indicated that the solid/liquid interface is dendritic. After stopping growth, the solid phase became round if the solute content is low. On the other hand, if the solute content is high, solid/liquid interface remained dendritic.
In case of melting, the solid/liquid interface is complex. If the solid phase is round after growth, it melted remaining round. If the solid/liquid interface was dendritic after growth, dendrite arms became slender and the tip of dendrite became pointed. Some secondary dendrite arms may have been detached.
It has been found that the melting velocity is lower than the growth velocity. Because of the difference in solid/liquid interfacial morphology and because of the difference in the traveling velocity of solid/liquid interface, the kinetics of growth and melting are different. One of the important reasons is the difference in operating point for growth and melting. In case of growth, the operating point is dendrite tip. On the other hand, in case of melting, it is rather wide area, which is inside of the envelope of the tips of the solid phase.