Eutectic growth in three dimensions

Critical experimental studies have been carried out to examine the stability of eutectic morphology in three-dimensional (3-D) samples under diffusive growth conditions. By directionally solidifying capillary samples of the well -characterized Al-Cu eutectic alloy, it is shown that the observed minimum spacing agrees with the value predicted by the Jackson and Hunt (JH) model, but the range of stable spacing is reduced significantly in three dimensions. The ratio of the maximum to minimum eutectic spacing in three dimensions is found to be only 1.2 compared to the predicted value of 2.0 in two dimensions. The narrow range of stable spacing is shown to be due to the instabilities in the third dimension that forms when the local spacing becomes larger than some critical spacing value, which corresponds to the maximum stable spacing. A new mechanism of lamellar creation in the third dimension is observed in which lamella with a local spacing larger than the critical value becomes unstable and forms a sidewise perturbation that becomes enlarged at the leading front and then propagates parallel to the lamella to create a new lamella. Alternately, an array of sidewise perturbations form, which then coalesce at their leading fronts and then become detached from the parent lamella to form a new lamella.