Predicting growth direction of tilted dendritic arrays during directional solidification

Determinant factors for tilted growth dynamics of dendritic arrays during directional solidification are analyzed. A vector model of solutal gradient is proposed to predict the growth direction of tilted dendritic arrays based on the competition between the preferred crystalline dynamics and the solutal diffusion interaction of dendritic neighbors. Effects of the spacing Péclet number and thermal gradient on the tilted dynamics are clarified. The predicted growth direction from this vector model is in good agreement with previous results.

► Tilted growth dynamics of dendritic arrays origins from the competition between the preferred crystalline dynamics and the solutal diffusion interaction of dendritic neighbors.
► A simple model is presented to predict the tilted growth direction.
► The spacing Péclet number and preferred orientation are the main factors in determining the tilted growth direction.
► An analytical expression is also proposed to describe the tilted growth direction.
► The model's predictions are in good agreement with previous results.