Eutectic solidification patterns: Interest of microgravity environment

AbstractThe solidification of binary eutectic alloys produces two-phase composite materials in which the microstructure, that is, the geometrical distribution of the two solid phases, results from complex pattern-formation processes at the moving solid–liquid interface. Since the volume fraction of the two solids depends on the local composition, solidification dynamics can be strongly influenced by thermosolutal convection in the liquid. In this contribution, we review our experimental and numerical work devoted to the understanding of eutectic solidification under purely diffusive conditions, which will soon be tested and extended during the microgravity experiment TRANSPARENT ALLOYS planned by the European Space Agency (ESA)