SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “undercooled”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1988

Bulk undercooling, nucleation, and macrosegregation of Pb-Sn alloys

Preliminary ground-based studies on the undercooling behavior of large samples (23 g) of lead-tin alloys are presented. Evidence of gravity-related segregation effects is found, and a possible area for future microgravity experimentation is thus identified. Detailed descriptions of the experimental procedure used to achieve bulk undercoolings of between 0.5 and 34 K, depending on composition, are given. The bulk undercoolings obtained in this study are comparable with those found in small droplets. The large size of the present samples enabled the observation of sedimentation and other macrosegregation processes.

Degroh, H. C., III↗

NASA NTRS2002

Studies of Nucleation and Growth, Specific Heat and Viscosity of Undercooled Melts of Quasicrystals and Polytetrahedral-Phase-Forming Alloys

The local atomic structures of undercooled liquid metals are presumed to be icosahedral; this order is incompatible with translational periodicity, constituting a barrier to the nucleation of the crystal phase. The extended atomic structure of the icosahedral quasicrystal (i-phase) is similar to that presumed in the undercooled liquid. Therefore, a comparison of the maximum undercooling in alloys that form the i-phase with those that form crystal phases provides a probe of the liquid structure.

Kelton, K. F.↗

NASA NTRS2002

X-Ray and Electrostatic Levitation Undercooling Studies in Ti-Zr-Ni Quasicrystals Forming Alloys

The first undercooling nucleation measurements of electrostatic-levitated droplets of TiZrNi alloys that form the icosahedral quasicrystal phase (i-phase) are presented. The reduced undercooling for crystallization decreases with an increasing polytetrahedral order of the primary solidifying phase, supporting the existence of a developing icosahedral short-range order in the undercooled liquid. X-ray diffraction measurements made at the Advance Photon Source on levitated liquid droplets of these alloys at their liquidus temperatures, however, show no evidence for increased icosahedral order. This suggests that significant ordering only occurs below the melting temperature.

Rogers, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS2003

The Solidification Velocity of Undercooled Nickel and Titanium Alloys with Dilute Solute

The study of solidification velocity is important for two reasons. First, understanding the manner in which the degree of undercooling of the liquid and solidification velocity affect the microstructure of the solid is fundamental. Second, there is disagreement between theoretical predictions of the relationship between undercooling and solidification velocity and experimental results. Thus, the objective of this research is to accurately and systematically quantify the solidification velocity as a function of undercooling for dilute nickel-and titanium-based alloys. The alloys chosen for study cover a wide range of equilibrium partition coefficients, and the results are compared to current theory.

Algoso, Paul R.↗

NASA NTRS2003

A Liquid-Liquid Transition in an Undercooled Ti-Zr-Ni Liquid

If crystallization can be avoided, liquids enter a metastable (undercooled) state below their equilibrium liquidus temperatures, TI, finally freezing into a glass below a characteristic temperature called the glass transition temperature, T,. In rare cases, the undercooled liquid may undergo a liquid-liquid phase transition (liquid polymorphism) before entering the glassy state. This has been suggested from experimental studies of HzO and Si4. Such phase transitions have been predicted in some stable liquids, i.e. above TI at atmospheric pressure, for Si02 and BeF;, but these have not been verified experimentally. They have been observed in liquids of P7, Sis and C9, but only under high pressure. All of these transitions are driven by an anomalous density change, i.e. change in local structure, with temperature or pressure. In this letter we present the first experimental evidence for a phase transition in a low viscosity liquid that is not driven by an anomalous density change, but by an approach to a constant configuration state. A maximum in the specific heat at constant pressure, similar to what is normally observed near T,, is reported here for undercooled low viscosity liquids of quasicrystal- forming Ti-Zr-Ni alloys. that includes cooperativity, by incorporating a temperature dependent excitation energy fits the data well, signaling a phase transition.

Lee, G. W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Novel Liquid-Liquid Transition in Undercooled Ti-Zr-Ni Liquids

If crystallization can be avoided, liquids enter a metastable (undercooled) state below their equilibrium liquidus temperatures, T(sub l), finally 'freezing' into a glass below a characteristic temperature called the glass transition temperature, T(sub g). In rare cases, the undercooled liquid may undergo a liquid-liquid phase transition (liquid polymorphism) before entering the glassy state. This has been suggested from experimental studies of H2O and Si. Such phase transitions have been predicted in some stable liquids, ie. above T(sub l) at atmospheric pressure, for SiO2 and BeF2, but these have not been verified experimentally. They have been observed in liquids of P, Si and C, but only under high pressure. In this letter we present the first experimental evidence for a phase transition in a low viscosity metallic liquid that is driven by an approach to a constant entropy configuration state and correlated with a growing icosahedral order in the liquid. A maximum in the specific heat at constant pressure, similar to what is normally observed near T(sub g), is reported for undercooled liquids of quasicrystal-forming Ti-Zr-Ni alloys. A two-state excitation model that includes cooperativity by incorporating a temperature-dependent excitation energy, fits the specific heat data well, signaling a phase transition. An inflection in the liquid density with decreasing temperature instead of a discontinuity indicates that this is not a typical first order phase transition; it could be a weakly first order or higher order transition. While showing many similarities to a glass transition, this liquid-liquid phase transition occurs in a mobile liquid, making it novel.

Lee, G. W.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Theoretical aspects of undercooling, nucleation and growth of metals in space

A mathematical model which can predict solid material properties from known melt properties and solidification environment is being developed to aid in selecting materials systems which could benefit scientifically or commercially from experimentation in space. In its present, preliminary form, the model calculates grain size and dendrite morphology from the undercooling parameter and the parameter which characterizes heterogeneous nucleation. Calculations with the present model are compared to experimental data, and needed improvements in the model are described. Some theoretical problems relating to undercooling and environmentally-induced solute segregation are also discussed.

Miller, R. I.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Compositional variations in the undercooled Pb-Sn eutectic solidified at various acceleration levels

Ingots of Pb-61.9 Sn were undercooled and solidified under increasing gravity levels in order to investigate the effects of segregation. The onset of convective flow subsequent to the nucleation of lead is demonstrated. It is shown that when material system in the molten state contains constituents of varying densities, the combination of gravitational forces on the nucleating species and the amount of undercooling of the melt will determine the resultant segregation.

Johnston, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The influence of containerless undercooling and rapid solid-state quenching on the superconductive and magnetic properties of some clustering alloy systems

The properties of clustering alloy systems and the manner in which they are influenced by rapid quenching from a containerless undercooled melt are discussed. It was postulated that rapid quenching under such conditions would result in highly disordered metastable alloys, and furthermore, that alloys in such conditions would possess physical properties characteristically different from those of alloys in the annealed equilibrium state. The scope of the program is essentially to gauge the influence of containerless undercooling on the submicrostructure of clustering-type alloys, using certain physical properties as diagnostic tools. Microstructures and macrostructures were to be examined using optical- and scanning-electron microscopy.

Collings, E. W.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The undercooling of liquids

The formation by melt quenching of such metastable structures as glassy or microcrystalline solids and highly supersaturated solutions is made possible by the extreme resistance of most melts to homophase crystal nucleation at deep undercooling. This nucleation resistance contrasts sharply with the very low kinetic resistance to the movement of crystal-melt interfaces, once formed, in metals and other fluid systems at even minute undercooling. The methods of nucleation study which have proven especially effective in bypassing nucleation by heterophase impurities thereby exposing the high resistance of melts to homophase nucleation may be summarized as follows: observation of the crystallization behavior of dispersed small droplets; drop tube experiments in which liquid drops solidify, under containerless conditions, during their fall in the tube; and observation of the crystallization of bulk specimens immersed in fluxes chosen to dissolve or otherwise deactivate (e.g., by wetting) heterophase nucleants. This method has proven to be remarkably effective in deactivating such nucleants in certain pure metals.

Turnbull, D.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Bulk undercooling

Bulk undercooling methods and procedures will first be reviewed. Measurement of various parameters which are necessary to understand the solidification mechanism during and after recalescence will be discussed. During recalescence of levitated, glass-encased large droplets (5 to 8 mm diam) high speed temperature sensing devices coupled with a rapid response oscilloscope are now being used at MIT to measure local thermal behavior in hypoeutectic and eutectic binary Ni-Sn alloys. Dendrite tip velocities were measured by various investigators using thermal sensors or high speed cinematography. The confirmation of the validity of solidification models of bulk-undercooled melts is made difficult by the fineness of the final microstructure, the ultra-rapid evolution of the solidifying system which makes measurements very awkward, and the continuous modification of the microstructure which formed during recalescence because of precipitation, remelting and rapid coarsening.

Kattamis, T. Z.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The alloy undercooling experiment on the Columbia STA 61-C space shuttle mission

An Alloy Undercooling experiment was performed in an electromagnetic levitator during the Columbia STS 61-C mission in January 1986. One eutectic nickel-tin alloy specimen was partially processed before an equipment failure terminated the experiment. Examination of the specimen showed evidence of undercooling and some unusual microstructural features.

Harf, Fredric H.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Undercooling and crystallization behaviour of antimony droplets

The droplet emulsion technique is presently used to examine the undercooling and crystallization behavior of pure antimony. Control of droplet size and applied cooling rate allowed maximum undercooling to be extended from 0.08 to 0.23 T(m). A droplet coating was produced by means of emulsification which appears to furnish a favorable crystallographic matching for effective nucleation catalysis of a metastable simple cubic structure. Thermal analysis shows the melting temperature of the single cubic phase to be about 625 C.

Graves, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The alloy undercooling experiment on the Columbia STS 61-C Space Shuttle mission

Harf, Fredric H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Undercooling of niobium-germanium alloys in a 100 meter drop tube

The undercoolings of pure Nb and Nb-Ge alloys are examined using the 100-m drop tube of the Marshall Space Flight Center. The temperatures of the samples prior to release were measured, and IR detectors were utilized to monitor recalescence from solidification. It is observed that the Nb and Nb-Ge samples undercooled to the homogeneous nucleation limit. The data reveal that all the samples displayed a dendritic primary phase, except for alloys nucleating in the beta-phase field, which had a cellular phase. The composition of these phases are studied using EDXA; it is detected that the composition of the phases corresponds to the Jorda (1978) phase diagram.

Hofmeister, W. H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Velocity selection at large undercooling in a two-dimensional nonlocal model of solidification

The formation of needle-crystal dendrites from an undercooled melt is investigated analytically, applying the method of Caroli et al. (1986) to Langer's (1980) symmetric two-dimensional nonlocal model of solidification with finite anisotropy in the limit of large undercooling. A solution based on the WKB approximation is obtained, and a saddle-point evaluation is performed. It is shown that needle-crystal solutions exist only if the capillary anisotropy is nonzero, in which case a particular value of the growth velocity can be selected. This finding and the expression for the dependence of the selected velocity on the singular perturbation parameter and the strength of the anisotropy are found to be in complete agreement with the results of a boundary-layer model (Langer and Hong, 1986).

Barbieri, Angelo↗

NASA NTRS1987

Undercooled water in basaltic regoliths and implications for fluidized debris flows on Mars

Pursuant to the past attribution of many geomorphic features on Mars to the movements of water- or ice-lubricated debris, experiments have been conducted for water freezing in wet, sand-like basaltic substrates. It is found that substantial undercooling can be achieved under Martian conditions, independently of freezing-point depressions due to soluble salts. Attention is given to results for a clay-poor soil with negligible salinity from Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which demonstrate that the degree of undercooling is essentially independent of both soil particle size and water/soil mass ratio, albeit with cooling rate variations.

Gooding, James L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Solidification of undercooled Ni-Sn eutectic alloy under microgravity conditions in the Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle Columbia carried an Alloy Undercooling Experiment on its STS 61-C mission in January, 1986. The experiment was performed in an electromagnetic levitator. A sample of Ni-32.5 wt pct Sn eutectic was melted and solidified under microgravity conditions in the Space Shuttle. The specimen achieved only a fairly small undercooling, probably less than 30 K. The specimen was examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The surface and cross-sectional microstructures were primarily composed of normal lamellar eutectic, but showed several interesting features, including an apparent surface nucleation site, curved dendrites with nonorthogonal secondary arms, dendrite fragments with extremely fine arm spacing, submicron precipitates, and faceted crystals. The results of the space experiment are presented and compared with ground-based results obtained with the same alloy.

Piccone, T. J.↗