Experimental study of making Sn-10 wt%Pb alloy by using directional solidification under different magnetic field arrangements

Based on the concept of directional solidification, several experimental models for the casting process of Sn-10wt%Pb alloy with different magnetic field arrangements are built in this work and the effects of the magnetic field on the solidification morphology are investigated. According to the experimental results, it has been found that the water-cooling chill located at the bottom of the casting mold can supply the sufficient temperature gradient to reach directional solidification. From the microstructure observation, the casting can be divided into three zones, the chill, columnar, and equiaxed zones. In the case of directional solidification with the lateral magnetic field and cyclic magnetic field, there are coarser columnar structures than without a magnetic field, but one obtains thinner columnar structures with a longitudinal magnetic field. This study can facilitate the successful and optimum utilization of the magnetic field in the solidification process of Sn-10 wt%Pb Alloy.