A comparative EBSP study of microstructure and microtexture formation from undercooled Ni99B1 melts solidified on an electrostatic levitator and an electromagnetic levitator

Ni99B1 alloys were solidified by containerless processing at various melt undercoolings on an electrostatic levitator (ESL) and an electromagnetic levitator (EML). A scanning electron microscope in combination with an electron backscatter diffraction pattern mapping technique was employed to reveal microstructures and microtextures formed on these two facilities. The microstructure consists of well-developed primary dendrites with coarse secondary arms in the alloys solidified on the ESL at low and medium undercooling levels, whereas equiaxed grains are yielded in alloys solidified on the EML at almost the same undercoolings. Further analysis indicates that the melt flow induced by the electromagnetic field in the EML may play a significant role in promoting fragmentation of primary dendrites in the mushy zone and thus resulting in equiaxed grains. In contrast, the primary dendrites in the alloy processed on the ESL can fully develop in the absence of melt flow. The fluid flow in the sample on the EML can rotate, move, and displace surviving fragments, yielding a random distribution of grain orientation and thus leading to a random microtexture at low and medium undercoolings. At high undercoolings, refined equiaxed grains can be obtained on both the ESL and the EML and the influence of melt flow on refinement seems negligible due to the enhanced driving force in capillarity and solute effects. A great number of coherent annealing twins are formed, making the pole figures more complex and random.