Movement of the interphases during the horizontal solidification of tin-zinc alloys

The parameters for the transformation from liquid to solid, such as the temperature gradient, the growth rate, the cooling rate, the interphase velocity, vary from process to process and in one process also as a function of time and space. These variations together with the different alloy compositions, lead to a multitude of microstructures and therefore, affect the behavior of the material.

In this work the evolution of the interphases is studied in Sn-Zn (Sn-6wt.% Zn (hypoeutectic) and Sn-15wt.% Zn (hypereutectic)) when the specimens were unidirectionally horizontally solidified through heat extraction in two opposite directions. Sn-Zn specimens shaped in cylindrical segments were obtained, with an average length between 13 cm-17 cm, an average width between 3 cm-3.2 cm and an average thickness of 0.8 cm – 1.2 cm, depending on the experience.