Two-phase mixtures can evolve with time by the diffusion of mass from regions of high to low interfacial curvature, a process known as coarsening.  The coarsening process changes the size scale of the two-phase mixture, and thus has a major effect on the properties of many materials.  In the case of nearly spherical solid-particles in a liquid, an analog of precipitation hardened alloys used in structural materials, experiments on the International Space Station have been used to test the foundational classical theory of coarsening.  For dendritic solid-liquid mixtures, the lack of sedimentation has allowed us to examine the breakup of the dendritic structure found following solidification that plays a major role in setting the grain structure, and hence strength, of cast and additively manufactured metals. The results of the experiments and their implications to the design of new alloys will be discussed.

Microgravity materials science: The dynamics of coarsening processes

2019 Spring National Meeting

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