Comparative study of influence of natural and forced convection on columnar microstructures indirectional solidification of Al-3.5 wt% Ni alloy
(English)
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The influence of longitudinal vibration on solidification microstructure was experimentally investigated. Upward directional solidification experiments were carried out on Al-Ni alloy, under natural and controlled convection conditions. The influence of natural convection on solidified microstructure was first analyzed as a function of growth parameters. Then, directional solidifications with longitudinal vibrations were performed. Experimental results demonstrated that for dendritic microstructure vibrations could be used to either damp fluid flow in the melt and obtain a uniform pattern or to promote a fragmented microstructure whereas no marked effect was observed for cellular growth. This pointed out the critical role of the mushy zone in the interaction between fluid flow and solidification microstructure.