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The relationship between emissivity, delay time, and surface growth for metastable solidification of CoSi-62 at. % eutectic alloys is reported from undercooling experiments conducted using electrostatic levitation. A fraction of the undercooled melt is first solidified to CoSi2 with subsequent nucleation in the mushy-zone of CoSi after an observed delay time. During this double recalescence event, the temperature of the secondary recalescence exceeds the liquidus, indicating that the spectral emissivity has changed. This emissivity change increases with longer delay times during solidification and is linked to the growth of cellular structure on the sample surface. Density measurements showed that the cellular structure begins to grow rapidly at a certain time during metastable solidification. This phenomenon is likely associated with the constitutional undercooling of the remaining melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The hypoeutectic composition Co–61.8at.% Si was undercooled and solidified using electromagnetic levitation, electromagnetic levitation under a static magnetic field, electrostatic levitation and glass-fluxing. The samples generally showed two thermal events, either separated or continuous depending on undercooling. In situ monitoring of the two thermal events with a high-speed camera revealed a sudden decrease of dendritic growth velocities of primary phases at a critical undercooling of 88K. Scanning electron microscopy studies of the solidified samples showed that the CoSi compound and the CoSi2 compound nucleate as the primary phase for low and high undercoolings, respectively. The microstructure of the samples depends not only on undercooling, but also on the onset temperature or delay time of the second thermal event. Melt convection has no effect on the primary phase selection in undercooled melts, but it has a significant effect on the delay time and therefore on microstructure formation of the samples for high undercoolings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Co–61.8at.% Si (CoSi–CoSi2) eutectic alloys were solidified on an electromagnetic levitator (EML) and an electrostatic levitator (ESL) at different undercooling levels. The results indicated that there is only a single recalescence event at low undercooling with the CoSi intermetallic compound as primary phase, which is independent of processing facilities, on either an EML or an ESL. The microstructure, however, is strongly dependent on the processing facility. The interior melt flow behavior in the sphere solidified at the EML differs substantially from that at the ESL, thus yielding different microstructures. On high undercooling, double recalescence takes place regardless of levitation condition. In situ X-ray diffraction of alloys solidified on the EML demonstrates that the CoSi2 compound becomes the primary phase upon the first recalescence, and the CoSi intermetallic phase crystallizes during the second recalescence. In addition to phase identification, real-time diffraction patterns can also provide additional evidence of the fragmentation of the primary phase and the ripening feature in the subsequent cooling process in the semisolid state. The phase competition between the CoSi and CoSi2 compounds is discussed when considering the nucleation barrier. The low interfacial energy of the CoSi2 phase favors a preferential nucleation event over the CoSi phase, which also plays a critical role in non-reciprocity nucleation and thus yields a double recalescence profile at high undercooling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]