In situ observation of the impact of hydrogen bubbles in Al–Cu melt on directional dendritic solidification

Abstract

AbstractMuch research has already been focused on the solid-bubble interaction in the interdendritic space for solidifying materials. However, commonly, bubble nucleation is not limited to the mushy zone but also occurs in the liquid melt. In the present research on an Al-$$10 \, \%\mathrm {wt. \,}$$ 10 % wt . Cu alloy, the interaction between these bubbles and the approaching solidification front becomes apparent under in situ X-radiography and allows for new insights into the influence of bubbles on the solidifying microstructure. The observed effects comprise bulging of the solidification front toward the bubble, bending of dendrites in front of the bubble, coronal outgrowths surrounding the bubbles, as well as bubble growth, bubble pushing, and bubble eruption. It is found that for the present Al–Cu alloy, the local variation in the solidification speed can be attributed to the bubbles’ insulating properties. The range of this effect was observed to be up to $$900 \,\upmu \text {m}$$ 900 μ m , depending on the bubble diameter, locally increasing solidification speed by up to $$350 \, \%$$ 350 % . The influences of Marangoni vortices and coronal nucleation of misoriented dendrites around bubbles on the homogeneity of the microstructure are discussed. A comparison with experiments on model alloys and simulations from various other studies highlights the similarities and differences to this metallic alloy system.