实验考察了Pb-Al液-固分相合金的定向凝固行为,建立了Pb-Al合金定向凝固模型,结合实验模拟分析了凝固组织形成过程。研究表明,在Pb-Al合金液-固分相过程中,凝固界面前沿存在一过冷区,富Al (弥散相)粒子在此区间内形核,并在向凝固界面移动过程中进行扩散长大,随着凝固速率的提高,弥散相粒子形核率升高、数量密度增大、平均半径减小。富Al粒子Stokes运动的方向与合金凝固方向相同,导致粒子在凝固界面前富集；熔体的对流运动导致弥散相粒子的形核率及数量密度沿试样径向不均匀分布。在弥散相粒子Stokes运动和熔体对流作用下,形成弥散型凝固组织的必要条件为合金的凝固速率足够高,能保证凝固界面前沿液-固分相区间内所有尺寸粒子均向凝固界面迁移。

Pb is widely used as grid material for lead-acid batteries, an electrowinning electrode and a nuclear radiation shield. To improve the performance of these materials, alloying elements such as Ag, Sb, and Ca are commonly added. Pb's conductivity and strength can be improved using Al as an alloying element. However, the phase diagram of the Pb-Al alloy is characterized by the large liquid-liquid and liquid-solid miscibility gaps. When a homogeneous single-phase Pb-Al liquid is cooled into the miscibility gaps, Al-rich droplets/particles precipitate first from the melt, causing the Pb-Al alloy to form a microstructure with coarse Al-rich particles or serious phase segregation. Understanding the evolution of microstructure in the liquid-solid phase separation has remained a scientific challenge thus far. The solidification of the Pb-Al alloy is investigated using directional solidification experiments in this work. A numerical model is developed to describe the microstructure formation in a directionally solidified liquid-solid phase separation alloy using the population dynamics method. The evolution of the microstructure is simulated. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results. They show that a supercooling zone appears in front of the solidification interface, where the liquid-solid phase separation of the Pb-Al alloy occurs. In this zone, Al-rich particles (dispersed phase) form and grow by solute diffusing as they move toward the solidification interface. The nucleation rate and the number density of Al-rich particles increase as the solidification rate increases, whereas the average radius of the particles decreases. The Al-rich particles' Stokes movement velocity has the same direction as the melt's solidification velocity, resulting in an enrichment of Al-rich particles in front of the solidification interface. Because of the convective flow of the melt in front of the solidification interface, the cooling rate of the melt is unevenly distributed along the radial direction, resulting in an uneven distribution of nucleation rate, number density, and average radius of Al-rich particles. The formation of a solidification microstructure with the dispersive distribution of Al-rich particles is dependent on the solidification rate being fast enough to ensure that all size particles in the liquid-solid phase separation region move toward the solidification interface under the effect of the Stokes movement of Al-rich particles and the convective flow of melt.