Fast synchrotron X-ray tomographic quantification of dendrite evolution during the solidification of Mg-Sn alloys

The evolution of dendritic microstructures during the solidification of a Mg-15 wt%Sn alloy was investigated in situ via fast synchrotron X-ray microtomography. To enable these in situ observations a novel encapsulation method was developed and integrated into a fast, pink beam, imaging beamline at Diamond Light Source. The dendritic growth was quantified with time using: solid volume fraction, tip velocity, interface specific surface area, and surface curvature. The influence of cooling rate upon these quantities and primary phase nucleation was investigated. The primary dendrites grew with an 18-branch, 6-fold symmetry structure, accompanied by coarsening. The coarsening process was assessed by the specific surface area and was compared with the existing models. These results provide the first quantification of dendritic growth during the solidification of Mg alloys, confirming existing analytic models and providing experimental data to inform and validate more complex numeric models.