In Situ Investigation of Grain Migration by TGZM during Solidification in a Temperature Gradient

Temperature Gradient Zone Melting (TGZM) occurs when a liquidsolid zone is submitted to a temperature gradient and leads to the migration of liquid droplets or channels through the solid, up the temperature gradient. TGZM has a major influence on the preparation of the initial solid-liquid interface during the stabilization phase following the directional melting of an alloy and is at the origin of the diffusion of solute towards the top part of the mushy zone. TGZM is also causing the migration up the temperature gradient of dendrite secondary arms during directional solidification, which can have a significant impact on the micro-segregation pattern of the final microstructure. In this communication we report on a directional solidification experiment carried out at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble (France) on Al4.0 wt.% Cu alloy to study the dynamics induced by the TGZM phenomenon on an equiaxed grain that nucleated in front of a columnar structure. Based on in situ experimental observations obtained by synchrotron X-ray radiography, the dissolution of the bottom part of the equiaxed grain is characterized and measurements are compared with predictions of the TGZM theory in diffusive regime.