Papers by Keyword: Growth Direction

Abstract: As-solidified structure of an ingot is composed of the chill, columnar and equiaxed zones. The whole solidified structure is strongly affected by the chill crystals. Some initial solidification grains have been observed on the ingot surface and thought to be traces of the nucleation point. The aim of this study is, therefore, to develop the experiment technique to make one ‘grain’ and to crystallographically investigate the initial solidification grain using EBSD analysis. In order to start solidification at a very specified position, a small metallic protrusion was installed on an insulating plate. Al-6 wt%Si alloy was melted at 800 °C and was poured on the metallic protrusion. In this study, the amount of protrusion was varied to investigate the growth mechanism of the initial solidification grain. The longitudinal cross section of the specimen was observed by an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope. The starting position of solidification was the area that was on the metallic protrusion. In this initial solidification grain, it was difficult to observe the dendritic structure. The shape of this grain was about hemispherical. The grain area seemed to increase with increasing the amount of protrusion. The results of EBSD analysis showed that almost all initial solidification grains were composed by several crystals. The reason of this is that the nucleation frequency may increase with the amount of protrusion. The dendrite grew radially from the initial solidification grain continuously. The crystallographic structure was also continuous on the boundary of the initial solidification grain.

Abstract: In the structures of all metastable precipitates in Al-Mg-Cu and Al-Mg-Si alloys, we find that column surrounding of an element column in the needle/lath direction order according to simple principles. Advanced transmission electron microscopy and DFT calculations support the principles originate with a line defect, which is a segment of a <100>Al column shifted to interstitial positions. We propose the defect aids solute decomposition by partitioning the FCC matrix locally into columns of fewer and higher number of nearest neighbours, which suit smaller and larger size solute atoms, respectively. The defect explains how <100> directionality of the precipitates can arise in a cluster. Ordering of a few defects leads naturally to GPB zones in Al-Mg-Cu and to β'' in Al-Mg-Si.

Abstract: Surface quality as well as internal quality of cast products of aluminum alloys are strongly affected by the process of initial solidification. Control of solidified structure in this region is therefore quite important. In order to understand the growth of solidified grain, crystallographic characterization has been performed using EBSD (Electron Backscattered Diffraction) in this study. Al-6 mass%Si alloy was cast at 750°C on the chill plate. Longitudinal cross section of solidified shell was analyzed. In the region of initial solidification, many small crystals nucleated on the mold surface. The crystallographic orientations of these grains were random. It is normally found that an unfavorable grain was eliminated by a favorable grain. However, occasionally, we have found that an unfavorable grain enlarged its size. In this case, dendrite, the growth direction of which was far from the heat flow direction, gradually changed its crystallographic orientation from unfavorable one to favorable one. The grain enlarged its size by multiplication of dendrite arms. Crystallographic orientation of dendrite changed little by little when it branched. This kind of phenomena may take place in unsteady condition, such as initial solidification region.

Abstract: The solid phase transformation of a metastable phase into a stable phase needs the activation energy. The energy is usually supplied in the form of thermal energy. When the nucleation takes place, the strain energy may develop in the metastable matrix and the stable nucleus. The strain energy can result from differences in density of the nucleus and matrix and the lattice mismatch between the nucleus and matrix. The stable-metastable interface region has the highest strain-energy density in the maximum Youngs modulus direction of the stable phase. Accordingly, the growth rate of the stable phase is the highest in its highest Youngs modulus directions. As the transformation temperature decreases, the strain energy contribution increases and the growth rate anisotropy is likely to increase. When austenite transforms into ferrite at low temperatures, the directed growth of ferrite is observed as forms of Widmanstätten ferrite plates and acicular ferrite plates. The maximum growth direction of ferrite is along the maximum Youngs modulus direction of ferrite, <111>_α, and the broad interfaces are parallel to the maximum growth direction and formed so that they minimizes the shear strain energy in the interface layer. The directed growth results in the Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation relationship between austenite and ferrite, <111>_α//<110>_γ and {110} _α //{111}_γ.

Abstract: We have developed a bottom-up growth technology for nanostructures from a Cu surface by Ar ion irradiation. Cu2O conical nano-/micro-protrusions have been nucleated and grown from the surface of a preoxidized Cu plate by Ar ion irradiation in low vacuum. In this study, the growth direction or preferred orientation of the protrusions was analysed using glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) analysis and an X-ray diffraction pole figure (XRD-PF) measurement. The GAXRD patterns showed that the main phase of the product obtained by Ar irradiation was Cu2O, shown as the highest peak of Cu2O (111), and CuO was additionally formed. The intensity ratio of Cu2O (110) to Cu2O (111) increased as the X-ray incident angle decreased from 10.0 to 0.5 deg, which indicated that the basal plane of the protrusions including the substrate was (110). Additionally, the XRD-PF {011}<001> 3-D plots showed the <110> preferred orientation of the product. These results explain that the growth direction or preferred orientation of the Cu2O protrusions is mainly <110>. The growth direction of the protrusions was separated and confirmed as <110> by checking the electron backscatter diffraction pattern (EBSP) of each protrusion.