Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 May 2014
The growth velocity during solidification of an undercooled melt of a Co-Cu alloyprocessed by electromagnetic levitation was measured using a high speed video camera.Applying a model of local non-equilibrium solidification, theoretical predictions ofdendrite growth velocity and dendritic growth radii are compared with high-accuracymeasurements of the growth kinetics. As the undercooling ΔT reaches a critical valueconsistent with the dendrite growth velocity being equal to the atomic diffusion speedVD in bulk liquid,ΔT =ΔT(VD),the velocity-undercooling relationship exhibits a break-point. A distinct change in thedendritic growth mechanism exists with the onset of complete solute trapping andchemically partitionless solidification of the core of the main stems of the dendritesoccurs. A complete transition to the thermally controlled growth of dendrites occurs atΔT =ΔT(VD)that leads to essential changes in the microstructure of dendritic patterns The phenomenonof dendritic fragmentation in Co-Cu melts, solidifying at ΔT <ΔT(VD),is discussed.