Comparison of different analysis techniques to determine the cellular and dendritic spacing

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing, 1993-12, Vol.173 (1), p.85-88
• Main Authors: Schievenbusch, A, Zimmermann, G, Mathes, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Metals. Metallurgy; Phase diagrams and microstructures developed by solidification and solid-solid phase transformations; Physics; Solidification
• ISSN: 0921-5093; 1873-4936
• DOI: 10.1016/0921-5093(93)90192-H

The formation of cellular and dendritic structures during a solidification process has been the subject of a great number of theoretical and experimental investigations. To determine the primary spacing of a directional solidified sample, different analysis techniques are in use, such as the Dcircle and the Perim criteria or calculation of the ration of the area to the number of cells or dendrites. Our suggestion is to determine the spacing from the nearest neighbour centre of gravity, in order to take into consideration the interaction of cells during the solidification process. The determination of the spacing is carried out for directionally solidified CuMn samples. Cross-sections containing more than 1000 cells are automatically analysed by an image analyser. The spacings are calculated using the different analysis techniques mentioned above. As a result, the spectra of spacings along with the mean value and standard deviation are calculated. In general, the Perim criterion creates maximum spacings and the area-to-number criterion creates minimum spacings where the Dcircle and the nearest neighbour criteria spacings lie in between. This tendency is independent of the morphological structure. Consequently, it is necessary to establish which technique best represents the solidification conditions and, therefore, should be used in theoretical models.