Abstract
Applying glass fluxing and cyclic superheating, rapid solidification of undercooled Ni-15at.%Cu alloy was performed by rapidly quenching the sample after recalescence. The evolution of microstructure and microtexture has been analyzed. At both low and high undercoolings, well-developed dendrites, within and around which are distributed by the fine equiaxed grains, are observed. At low undercooling, the completely grain-refined microstructure shows a highly oriented texture without annealing twins, whereas at high undercooling a fully random texture as well as a number of annealing twins is observed. On this basis, all the possible mechanisms for grain refinement, as well as their effects on the microstructure formation, were discussed. The grain refinement at both low and high undercoolings is concluded to originate from dendrite fragmentation. Particularly, at high undercooling, recrystallization, as a consequence of dendrite deformation (by fluid flow) and dendrite fragmentation (which provides grain boundary sites for recrystallization nucleation and for the “appearing” recrystallized grains), occurs and plays a role in the grain refinement and the formation of fully random texture.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D.M. Herlach: Non-equilibrium solidification of undercooled metallic melts. Mater. Sci. Eng., R12177 (1994)
J.D. Hunt, K.A. Jackson: Nucleation of solid in an undercooled liquid by cavitation. J. Appl. Phys.37254 (1966)
A.M. Mullis, R.F. Cochrane: Grain refinement and the stability of dendrites growing into undercooled pure metals and alloys. J. Appl. Phys.823783 (1997)
K.A. Jackson, J.D. Hunt, D.R. Uhlmann, T.P. Seward: On the origin of the equiaxed zone in castings. Trans. AIME236149 (1966)
M. Schwarz, A. Karma, K. Eckler, D.M. Herlach: Physical mechanism of grain refinement in solidification of undercooled melts. Phys. Rev. Lett.731380 (1994)
A. Karma: Model of grain refinement in solidification of undercooled melts. Int. J. Non Equilibr. Process11201 (1998)
F. Liu, G.C. Yang: Rapid solidification of highly undercooled bulk liquid superalloy: Recent developments, future directions. Int. Mater. Rev.51145 (2006)
F. Liu, G.C. Yang: Stress-induced recrystallization mechanism for grain refinement in highly undercooled superalloy. J. Cryst. Growth231295 (2001)
S.E. Battersby, R.F. Cochrane, A.M. Mullis: Microstructural evolution and growth velocity-undercooling relationships in the systems Cu, Cu-O and Cu-Sn at high undercooling. J. Mater. Sci.351365 (2000)
R.F. Cochrane, S.E. Battersby, A.M. Mullis: The mechanisms for spontaneous grain refinement in undercooled Cu-O and Cu-Sn melts. Mater. Sci. Eng., A304-306262 (2001)
K.I. Dragnevski, R.F. Cochrane, A.M. Mullis: The mechanism for spontaneous grain refinement in undercooled pure Cu melts. Mater. Sci. Eng., A375-377479 (2004)
G. Horvay: The tension field created by a spherical nucleus freezing into its less dense undercooled melt. Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer8195 (1965)
K.K. Leung, C.P. Chiu, H.W. Kui: Grain refinement in undercooled nickel. Scr. Metall. Mater.321559 (1995)
H.L. Lee, C.H. Shek, H. Wang: Texture analysis of grain refinement in undercooled Ni99.45B0.55. J. Mater. Res.161434 (2001)
D.M. Herlach, K. Ecker, A. Karma, M. Schwarz: Grain refinement through fragmentation of dendrites in undercooled melts. Mater. Sci. Eng., A304-30620 (2001)
A.L. Greer: Grain refinement in rapid solidified alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng., A13316 (1991)
D. Kessler, J. Koplik, K. Levine: Pattern selection in fingered growth phenomena. Adv. Phys.37255 (1998)
G. Wilde, G.P. Görler, R. Willnecker: Hypercooling of completely miscible alloys. Appl. Phys. Lett.692995 (1996)
R. Willnecker, G.P. Görler, G. Wilde: Appearance of a hypercooled liquid region for completely miscible alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng., A226-228439 (1997)
F. Gärtner, A.F. Norman, A.L. Greer, A. Zambon, E. Eamous, K. Eckler, D.M. Herlach: Texture analysis of the development of microstructure in Cu-30at.%Ni alloy droplets solidified at selected undercoolings. Acta Mater.4551 (1997)
F. Gärtner, S.A. Moir, A.F. Norman, A.L. Greer, D.M. Herlach: Texture analyses of levitated Fe69Ni30Cr1 droplets. Mater. Sci. Eng., A226-228307 (1997)
V. Randle, O. Engler Introduction to Texture Analysis Macrotexture, Microtexture and Orientation Mapping(Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, New York 2000)
R.F. Cochrane, D.M. Herlach, B. Feuerbacher: Grain refinement in drop-tube-processed nickel-based alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng., A133706 (1991)
M.J. Li, T. Ishilawa, K. Nagashio, K. Kuribayashi, S. Yoda: A comparative EBSP study of microstructure and microtexture formation from undercooled Ni99B1 melts solidified on an electrostatic levitator and an electromagnetic levitator. Acta Mater.543791 (2006)
M.J. Li, T. Tamura, K. Miwa: Controlling microstructures of AZ31 magnesium alloys by an electromagnetic vibration technique during solidification: From experimental observation to theoretical understanding. Acta Mater.554635 (2007)
M.J. Li, T. Tamura, K. Miwa: Microstructure and microtexture formation of AZ91D magnesium alloys solidified in a static magnetic field. Metall. Mater. Trans. A401543 (2009)
A. Hellawell, S. Liu, S.Z. Lu: Dendrite fragmentation and the effects of fluid flow castings. JOM4918 (1997)
A.K. Dahle, H.J. Thevik, L. Arnberg, D.H.S. John: Modeling the fluid-flow-induced stress and collapse in a dendritic network. Metall. Mater. Trans. B30287 (1999)
J. Pilling, A. Hellawell: Mechanical deformation of dendrites by fluid flow. Metall. Mater. Trans. A27229 (1996)
A.M. Mullis, D.J. Walker, S.E. Batterby, R.F. Cochrane: Deformation of dendrites by fluid flow during rapid solidification. Mater. Sci. Eng., A304-306245 (2001)
K. Dragnevski, A.M. Mullis, D.J. Walker, R.F. Cochrane: Mechanical deformation of dendrites by fluid flow during the solidification of undercooled melts. Acta Mater.503743 (2002)
R.D. Doherty, D.A. Hughes, F.J. Humphreys, J.J. Jonas, D.J. Jensen, M.E. Kassner, W.E. King, T.R. McNelley, H.J. McQueen, A.D. Rollett: Current issues in recrystallization: A review. Mater. Sci. Eng., A238219 (1997)
H.F. Wang, F. Liu, Z. Chen, G.C. Yang, Y.H. Zhou: Analysis of non-equilibrium dendrite growth in bulk undercooled alloy melt: Model and application. Acta Mater.55497 (2007)
H.F. Wang, F. Liu, Z. Chen, G.C. Yang, Y.H. Zhou: Effect of non-linear liquidus and solidus in undercooled dendrite growth: A comparative study in Ni-0.7at.%B and Ni-1at.%Zr system. Scr. Mater.57413 (2007)
P.R. Algoso, W.H. Hofmeister, R.J. Bayuzick: Solidification velocity of undercooled Ni-Cu alloys. Acta Mater.514307 (2003)
P.K. Galenko, D.A. Danilov: Model for free dendritic alloy growth under interfacial and bulk phase non-equilibrium conditions. J. Cryst. Growth197992 (1999)
X.L. Li, W. Liu, A. Godfrey, D.J. Jensen, Q. Liu: Development of the cube texture at low annealing temperatures in highly rolled pure nickel. Acta Mater.553531 (2007)
P.P. Bhattacharjee, R.K. Ray, N. Tsuji: Cold rolling and recrystallization textures of a Ni-5at.%W alloy. Acta Mater.572166 (2009)
M.J. Li, T. Ishikawa, K. Nagashio, K. Kuribayashi, S. Yoda: Experimental evidence of crystal fragmentation from highly undercooled Ni99B1 melts processed on an electrostatic levitator. Metall. Mater. Trans. A363254 (2005)
G.L. Wu, D.J. Jensen: Orientation of recrystallization nuclei developed in columnar-grained Ni at triple junctions and a high-angle grain boundary. Acta Mater.554955 (2007)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, H., Liu, F. & Yang, G. Experimental study of grain refinement mechanism in undercooled Ni-15at.%Cu alloy. Journal of Materials Research 25, 1963–1974 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2010.0257
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2010.0257