Mushy Layer Formation during Solidification of Binary Alloys from a Cooled Wall: the Role of Boundary Conditions

Motivated by metallurgical and geophysical applications we present a mathematical model describing the process of unidirectional solidification of binary melts or solutions, which is based oil the classical Stefan thermodiffusion theory with a planar front tip to a time of mushy layer initiation and on the quasi-equilibrium theory of solidification with a constitutionally supercooled region afterwards. The role of boundary conditions imposed at, the cooled wall is studied in terms of heat flux coefficients describing ultimately nonlinear dynamics oft lie process.