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Fundamentals of Solidification: Lecture 4: Nucleation and Growth
Fundamentals of Solidification: Lecture 4: Nucleation and Growth
• Introduction
• Homogeneous nucleation
• Heterogeneous nucleation
• Growth and microstructure
• Summary
Introduction
– Growth
Homogeneous nucleation
r
r
Homogeneous nucleation
• No preferred nucleation sites
– Spontaneous
– Random
• Those of preferred sites
– Boundary
– Surface
– Inclusion, …
Local free energy change
G Gafter Gbefore V GS GL A SL
Spherical nucleus:
4 3
G r GL GS 4r 2 SL
3
Single nucleus
Critical radius
dG / dr 0
2 SL
r*
G L GS
3
16 SL
G*
3 GL GS 2
(GL-GS) vs. supercooling
solid
Free energy density
liquid
temperature
Gc ni G TS
ni n
S k ni ln n ln
n ni n ni
Number of nuclei
• At equilibrium
Gc / ni 0
G ni
ln
kT n ni
Number of nuclei
when n ni
G
Boltzmann formula: ni n exp
kT
G *
Critical nuclei: ni * n exp
kT
Heterogeneous nucleation
• Nucleation site
– Mold walls
– Inclusion
– Interface
– Surface
– Impurity
Heterogeneous nucleation
Liquid
NL
h
Nucleus R IL
IN
a
Inclusion r
Heterogeneous nucleation
Force equilibrium
IL IN NL cos
Using IL IN NL cos
Thermodynamic barriers
Heterogeneous
nucleation barrier
Homogeneous
nucleation barrier
Thermodynamic barrier vs. wetting angle
Number of nuclei with critical radius
• Surface refinement
– Coat agents on mold walls
Pouring temperature
re-melted?
survived?
Microstructure of ingot
• Chilled zone
– Fine equiaxed grains.
– Pure substance: Continuous shell.
– Solution: Particles
– Particles flushed away from wall into the
central
• Re-melted
• Survived – nucleus
Intermediate columnar zone
• Casting
• Heat management
• Thermodynamics
• Nucleation and growth