Isothermal Solidification of an Al–Zn Alloy

Abstract

In diffusion brazing, a brazing alloy layer thickness introduced into the gap between brazed parts is very small, which hinders the study of the isothermal solidification process. In this work, the isothermal solidification of an Al–Zn alloy is investigated at large volume and mass of the initial liquid that takes part in isothermal solidification. Zinc cylinders are caulked in the holes bored in aluminum cubes. The samples thus assembled are held at 500 ± 10°C for different times. The volume fraction of isothermal solidified crystals has been determined, and the growth rate of isothermal crystals is shown to decrease upon holding. The crystals formed during isothermal solidification width are up to 380 μm and length more than 1 mm. They are observed in the samples that are held more than 2 days. The zinc content in the isothermal solidified crystals corresponds to its mean content in the aluminum solid solution at 490–510°C, according to the Al–Zn phase diagram. The composition of the former liquid that surrounded the crystals during isothermal solidification coincides with the equilibrium composition of the liquid in the Al–Zn system at a temperature of 490–510°C.