In situ monitoring of convection effects on segregation freckle formation

Visualizations of the solidification process were obtained by means of X-ray radioscopy within a Hele-Shaw cell filled with Ga-25wt%In alloy. The complete temperature field was measured in additional experiments by an infrared camera (Trotec IC 080 LV). The evolution of segregation channels (so-called ‘chimneys’) and microstructure of mushy zone was investigated and convection effects were highlighted. In the case of thermo-solutal convection the probability of chimney formation depends sensitively on variations of the horizontal temperature distribution. The temperature difference between the central part and the periphery of the solidification cell may cause a modification of the natural circulation inside the melt.
The second part of this study concerns the case when the natural convection is superimposed by an electromagnetically driven flow perpendicular to the dendrites growth direction. The main effects of forced melt flow are a modification of the dendritic structure and flow-induced redistribution of the solute concentration.
A quantitative assessment of the melt convection directly at the solid-liquid interface was obtained by applying the optical flow approach, which provided information about the velocity field. This quantitative analysis and experimental data of flow field and temperature distribution gives a better understanding of the interplay be-tween melt flow and solidification process.