The solidification of Al-Cu binary eutectic alloy with electric fields

The effects of static electric fields applied on the directional solidification of Al-Cu eutectic alloy are studied. The eutectic morphology and lamellar structure are observed in three experimental conditions, both with positive and negative electric fields. The experimental results show that positive and negative electric fields increase the lamellar spacing and the number of laminates. Electric fields increase the grain size but decrease the volume fraction. The analysis shows that the electric fields accelerate atom diffusion in liquid, which increases the lamellar spacing and grain size. The experimental results show that the electric fields have similar effect on the surface and inner surface of the specimen.