Chapter 8 - Solidification

Abstract

This chapter provides a general view of the formation of a solid from its melt—a process that is generally driven by the extraction of heat from the melt. It discusses the process of heat flow during conventional casting, directional solidification, and rapid solidification processing and focuses on the fundamentals of the freezing process under the headings of thermodynamics of solidification, nucleation, interface attachment kinetics, solute distribution for planar and nearly planar solid-liquid (S-L) interfaces, cellular and dendritic growth, and polyphase solidification. It also provides the application of these fundamentals to conventional and continuous casting, welding processes, manipulation of structure and new and emerging solidification processes. It also focuses on rapid solidification in an attempt to provide a general understanding of the solidification process as the solidification rate is increased. The solidification processing of metal matrix composites (MMCs) is an open and fascinating research area. Also, the engineering potential of metal matrix composites is continuously increasing. Reinforced metals have been introduced in a growing number of applications ranging from the sports industry, electronics, and aerospace to the automotive sector.