title: In situ synchrotron tomographic investigation of the solidification of an AlMg4.7Si8 alloy.
abstract: The solidification sequence of an AlMg4.7Si8 alloy is imaged in situ by synchrotron microtomography. Tomograms with (1.4 μm)3/voxel have been recorded every minute while cooling the melt from 600 °C at a cooling rate of 5 K min-1to 540 °C in the solid state. The solidification process starts with the three-dimensional evolution of the α-Al dendritic structure at 590 °C. The growth of the α-Al dendrites is described by curvature parameters that represent the coarsening quantitatively, and ends in droplet-like shapes of the secondary dendrite arms at 577 °C. There, the eutectic valley of α-Al/Mg2Si is reached, forming initially octahedral Mg2Si particles preferentially at the bases of the secondary dendrite arms. The eutectic grows with seaweed-like Mg2Si structures, with increasing connectivity. During this solidification stage Fe-aluminides form and expand as thin objects within the interdendritic liquid. Finally, the remaining liquid freezes as ternary α-Al/Mg2Si/Si eutectic at 558 °C, increasing further the connectivity of the intermetallic phases. The frozen alloy consists of four phases exhibiting morphologies characteristic of their mode of solidification: α-Al dendrites, eutectic α-Al/Mg2Si "Chinese script" with Fe-aluminides, and interpenetrating α-Al/Mg2Si/Si ternary eutectic.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Science and Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Karlsplatz 13/308, A-1040 Vienna, Austria ; Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Materials Physics, POB 32, H-1518 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tolnai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Requena
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lendvai
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Degischer
keywords: 3-D characterization; Cast Al–Mg–Si alloys; Eutectic solidification; In situ; Synchrotron radiation computed tomography