RAPID SOLIDIFICATION PROCESSING

It has been over eight years since the subject of rapid solidification processing (RSP) has been given a general review. The early reviews of RSP were undertaken before the very rapid expansion of the late 1970s and early 1980s and the most recent general review was published in 1984, at approximately the height of RSP activity in the USA. More recent specialized reviews have been prepared for magnesium, titanium and aluminium alloys. The expansion of research and application testing resulted from the first major attempts to employ RSP on a large scale under both industrial and government sponsorship. The objective here is to develop the historical background of RSP, and then to update the present theoretical base for this technology. Examples of recent work on the rapid solidification of metals and ceramics will be given, along with examples of applications. Finally, an assessment of the future directions and prospects for RSP will be presented.