X-Ray Videomicroscopy Studies of Eutectic Al-Si Solidification in Al-Si-Cu

Al-Si eutectic growth has been studied in-situ for the first time using X-ray video microscopy during directional solidification (DS) in unmodified and Sr-modified Al-Si-Cu alloys. In the unmodified alloys, Si is found to grow predominantly with needle-like tip morphologies, leading a highly irregular progressing eutectic interface with subsequent nucleation and growth of Al from the Si surfaces. In the Sr-modified alloys, the eutectic reaction is strongly suppressed, occurring with low nucleation frequency at undercoolings in the range 10 K to 18 K. In order to transport Cu rejected at the eutectic front back into the melt, the modified eutectic colonies attain meso-scale interface perturbations that eventually evolve into equiaxed composite-structure cells. The eutectic front also attains short-range microscale interface perturbations consistent with the characteristics of a fibrous Si growth. Evidence was found in support of Si nucleation occurring on potent particles suspended in the melt. Yet, both with Sr-modified and unmodified alloys, Si precipitation alone was not sufficient to facilitate the eutectic reaction, which apparently required additional undercooling for Al to form at the Si-particle interfaces.