PART IV - Crystallography of Unidirectionally Solidified Ni-Ni3B Eutectic Alloy

The crystallo graphy of several grains of the lamellar Ni-Ni3 B eutectic solidified under conditions appvoachirt equilibriun has been examined.. A preferred interlace relationship has been observed in this system which may be described as: A detailed study of this interface by means of an atomistic model reveals the interface Plane to be puckered and more accurately describable as: Analysis of the atomic configuration on these planes reveals that this interface conforms to the orientation criteria proposed for directionally solidified lanzellar eutectics. In addition, a model is proposed to help explain the growth of a "puckered" interface. DURING the past several years an increasing number of unidirectional solidification experiments on eutectic alloys have been reported in the literature. The primary emphasis, in most cases, has been the effect of growth variables on microstructure. Some authors have, however, studied the crystallographic orientations and interfacial relationships resulting from these experiments. Four crystallographic studies have been published;'-4 in each of these there is a factor which tends to prohibit the extension of the observations beyond the particular system. In the Al-CuA12 system, the approximately equal volume fractions of the phases have resulted in sorrie controversy as to which phase constitutes the matrix. In the Mg-Mg,Sn eutectic the presence of several interconnecting lamellar systems2 complicates the analysis. The two remaining eutectics. 1nSb-b and Al-Ali, are both rodlike (the latter exhibits a plate morphology at low solidification rates): the matrix in each of these alloys is the simpler (fcc) phase. Studies of nucleation in eutectic alloys indicate that the more complex constituent is the nucleating -.phase.' For the purpose of an analysis of interface crystallography it was deemed desirable to study a lamellar system in which the matrix was the more complex and, presumably. the nucleating phase. Recently it has been shown that there is a eutectic in the Ni-B system between Ni3B and i; preliminary investigation by the authors indicated that the matrix in this eutectic is the boride phase. The structure of Ni,B is reported to be orthorhombic, the compound being isostructural with cementite. This eutectic is therefore analogous to that between austenite and cementite. Furthermore, the Ni-B system is not susceptible to a competing eutectic reaction as occurs in the Fe-C alloys; nor does it exhibit a eutectoid decomposition. For these reasons the study of the interfacial relationship in the Ni-Ni3B eutectic was undertaken. PROCEDURE Ingots of nominal composition 3.5 and 3.6 wt pct B were induction-melted in boron nitride crucibles within a graphite susceptor under a boric oxide slag; a dynamic argon atmosphere was maintained over the melt to prevent rapid oxidation of the susceptor. The raw materials used were 99.97 pct Ni from Huntington Metals Division of International Nickel Co. and 99.8+ pct B chips supplied by the United Mineral and Chemical Co. The analyses of the starting materials are listed in Table I. The melt was held at 1500cC for 2 hr to insure complete reaction and allowed to cool to room temperature. The castings were chemically analyzed for boron and were metallographically examined for uniformity. The metallographic samples were mechanically polished through 0.1 p A1,0, and etched with Carapella's reagent. Each master casting was cut up to make several specimen blanks which were remelted, in boron nitride crucibles, to form ingots of 1/2 to 3/4 in. in diarn by 7 in. long. These ingots were unidirectionally solidified using a modified vertical Bridgman technique. The rate of solidification was assumed to be equal to the uniform rate at which the crucible-susceptor assembly was withdrawn from the induction coil. This rate was varied from 1.18 to 2.21 cm per hr. In order to perform these experiments it was found necessary to redetermine the eutectic composition. This was accomplished by the zone-melting technique described by Yue and lark.' An ingot of 4.5 wt pct B was zone-melted in a horizontal boron nitride boat 7-1/2 in. long with a 112-in.-square cross section. A