Thermophysical properties and eutectic growth of electrostatically levitated and substantially undercooled liquid Zr91.2Si8.8 alloy

We present the thermophysical properties and eutectic growth of undercooled liquid Zr91.2Si8.8 alloy at electrostatic levitation state. The obtained maximum undercooling is 371 K, which reaches up to 0.2T(E). The density of liquid alloy decreases linearly with increasing temperature. The ratio of specific heat to emissivity is measured and the specific heat is derived accordingly. The solidification microstructure is composed of alpha Zr and Zr3Si phases and displays a transition from lamellar eutectic to anomalous eutectic with the enhancement of undercooling. The growth velocity of lamellar eutectic is measured to be only 1 mm/s, whereas it increased to 90 mm/s for anomalous eutectic. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.