On the Theory of Directional Solidification in the Presence of a Mushy Zone

Abstract

A model is developed for the directional solidification of a binary melt with a two-phase zone (mushy zone), where the fraction of the liquid phase is described by a space–time scaling relation. Self-similar variables are introduced and the interphase boundary growth is inversely proportional to the square root of time. The mathematical model of the process is reformulated using self-similar variables. Exact self-similar solutions of heat-and-mass transfer equations are determined in the presence of two mobile phase-transition boundaries, namely, solid–mushy zone and mushy zone–liquid ones. The temperature and impurity concentration distributions in the solid phase, the mushy zone, and the melt are found as integral expressions. A decrease in the dimensionless cooled-boundary temperature leads to an increase in the solidification rate and the fraction of the liquid phase. The solidification rate, the parabolic growth constants, and the fraction of the liquid phase at the solid–mushy zone boundary are determined depending on the scaling parameter and the thermophysical constants of the solidifying melt. The positions of the solid–mushy zone and mushy zone–binary melt phase transition boundaries are found. The dependences of the solidification rate (inversely proportional to the square root of time) are analyzed. The scaling parameter significantly is shown to substantially affect the solidification rate and the fraction of the liquid phase in the phase transformation region. The developed model and the method of its solution can be generalized to the case of directional solidification of multicomponent melts in the presence of several phase transformation regions (e.g., main and cotectic two-phase zones during the solidification of three-component melts).