Thermo-Electric-Magnetic Hydrodynamics in Solidification: In Situ Observations and Theory

Solidification of liquid metals contains all the ingredients for the development of the thermo-electric (TE) effect, namely liquid-solid interface and temperature gradients. The combination of TE currents with a superimposed magnetic field gives rise to thermo-electromagnetic (TEM) volume forces acting on both liquid and solid. This results in the generation of fluid flows, which considerably modifies the morphology of the solidification front as well as that of the mushy zone. TEM forces also act on the solid and cause both fragmentation of dendrite branches and a movement of equiaxed grains in suspension. These phenomena have already been unveiled by post-mortem analysis of samples, but they can be analyzed in more detail by using x-ray in situ and real-time observations. Here, we present conclusive evidence of all the aforementioned effects thanks to in situ observations of Al-Cu alloy solidification under static magnetic field.