Dendritic crystal growth in supercooled melt

Abstract

We consider a two-dimensional computer model of crystal growth in a supercooled melt. In this model, the dynamics of the formation of dendritic patterns from a crystallization centre is investigated with allowance for two competing processes: anisotropic interfacial kinetics and heat transfer process. Dependences of the dendrite growth rate and the dendritic shape on the crystallographic orientation of the preferred growth direction (of the maximum of the kinetic coefficient) are obtained. It is shown that if the dendrite grows in a direction that is not the preferred growth direction, its tip splits up and its rate of growth is pulsated.