Interaction mechanism of in-situ nano-TiN-AlN particles and solid/liquid interface during solidification

This paper deals with the interaction mechanism between in situ nanometer-grade TiN-AlN particles and the solid/liquid (S/L) interface during the solidification of an in situ TiN-AlN/Al composite. According to the setting of a force balance for the particles in front of the S/L interface during solidification, F = F(buoyant) + F(repulsive) + F(viscous). We obtained the relationship between the critical cooling velocity of the liquid composite, Vr, and the size of the ceramic particle, rp. By this relationship formula, we can know that the S/L interface engulfs particles or pushes them to the crystal grain boundary during the solidification of a TiN-AlN/Al composite. It is found that Vr is proportional to the radius of ceramic particles by transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation. The TEM test indicates that the smaller the particle is, the more easily the S/L interface engulfs particles.