NASA NTRS1984
Experimental work on undercooling and structure of tin-lead droplets emulsified in oil is described. The droplets, predominantly in the size range of 10 to 20 microns, were cooled at rates (just before nucleation) ranging from about 0.1 to 1 million K/s. The higher cooling rates were obtained by a newly developed technique of quenching the emulsified droplets in a cold liquid. Measured undercoolings (at the lower cooling rates) ranged up to about 100 K. Structures obtained depend strongly on undercooling, cooling rate before and after nucleation, and alloy composition. Droplets containing up to 5 wt pct Pb were apparently single phase when undercooled and rapidly quenched. Droplets in the composition range of about 25-90 wt pct Pb solidified dendritically, even at the most rapid quench rates employed, apparently because these alloys undercooled only slightly before nucleation of the primary phase.