In-situ three-dimensional microstructural investigation of solidification of an Al-Cu alloy by ultrafast X-ray microtomography

This article presents the first results of a new experimental technique developed to investigate the evolution of the morphology of the solid and liquid phases during the solidification of a metallic alloy. It consists of ultrafast X-ray microtomography observations of a solidifying aluminum-copper alloy carried out at ESRF. These experiments allow investigating in-situ the formation of the casting microstructure and of the evolution of the morphology of the solid and the liquid phases. It allows also the in-situ determination of the solidification path, of the variation of the copper content in both the liquid and solid phases, and of some other characteristic parameters of the microstructure. Provided that some forthcoming technical improvements on the experimental setup are performed, more quantitative results can be obtained as well as better image quality and resolution.