Effect of growth rate on microstructure and solute distribution of Al-Zn-Mg alloy

An Al-5.3%Zn-5.3%Mg alloy was unidirectionally solidified to determine morphological transition and solute distribution by a modification of the Bridgman technique for crystal growth with growth rates ranging from 4-500 μm/s and a temperature gradient of 25 K/cm. It was determined that growth rates from 6.5-9.5 μm/s generated a cell morphology, where the lower limit corresponds to the plane front to cellular transition and the upper limit indicates the cellular to columnar dendrite transition. The microstructures of the alloys solidified from 30 μm/s to growth rates less than 500 μm/s were mainly composed of columnar dendrites, while the microstructures solidified at growth rates greater than 500 μm/s were equiaxed. Regarding experimental results on solute distribution, a prediction of the model developed by Rappaz and Boettinger for dendrite solidification of multicomponent alloys was applied with excellent agreement. Results of solute distribution were employed to derive the precipitation fraction of τ-phase needed to increase the electrochemical properties of the alloy to be used as an Al-sacrificial anode.