Solidification behaviour of Cu-Pb hyper-monotectic alloys in microgravity conditions (WL-IHF-NUCIM)

The effects of different ceramic materials, used as crucible, on the solidification of Cu-Pb hyper-monotectic alloys, has been studied during the D2 flight.We report the preliminary results of the analysis performed on the solidified specimens , which shows a strong influence, in microgravity conditions, of the relative volume fraction of the two co-existing phases, of the chemical nature of the ceramic container and of the thermal profiles on the solidification morphology of the alloy ingots.