Battelle Memorial Institute

Jean-Claude Hubert

Wilfried Kurz

Benno Lux

Guido Walt

Francois Mollard

A metallic alloy is cast in a mold to produce a solid body by unidirectional solidification. The alloy, initially in a molten state, is cast into a mold and is completely and progressively cooled in the mold while a unidirectional thermal gradient superimposed thereon parallel to a direction determined by the configuration of the mold (predetermined direction) until a metastable equilibrium is reached in which the entire body of the melt is in a super-cooled state as a homogeneous liquid. The equilibrium is then broken to cause solidification of the alloy and the formation of dendritic crystals with their principal axes parallel to the thermal gradient substantially instantly and without noticeable advance of a solidification front across the melt.

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Saint-Maur, France

Jean-Claude Hubert