This article focuses on the intermediate length scales, where transport phenomena govern the spatial and temporal evolution of a structure. It presents the cellular automaton (CA) and phase field (PF) methods that represent the state of the art for modeling macrostructure and microstructure. The article describes the principles of the PF method and provides information on the applications of the PF method. The CA model is introduced as a computationally efficient method to predict grain structures in castings using the mesoscopic scale of individual grains. The article discusses the coupling of the CA to macroscopic calculation of heat, flow, and mass transfers in castings and applications to realistic casting conditions.

This article reviews the topic of computational thermodynamics and introduces the calculation of solidification paths for casting alloys. It discusses the calculation of thermophysical properties and the fundamentals of the modeling of solidification processes. The article describes several commonly used microstructure simulation methods and presents ductile iron casting as an example to demonstrate the ability of microstructure simulation. The predictions for the major defects of casting, such as porosity, hot tearing, and macrosegregation, are highlighted. Finally, several industry applications are presented.

A key aspect of solidification process modeling is the treatment of the interface between the solidifying casting and the mold in which it is contained. This article begins with information on casting-mold interface heat-transfer phenomena. It describes practical considerations and methods for incorporating interface heat-transfer coefficient into models and for quantifying the heat transfer coefficient experimentally. The article concludes with information on the selection of the heat transfer coefficient for a given casting configuration.

This article presents conservation equations for heat, species, mass, and momentum to predict transport phenomena during solidification processing. It presents transport equations and several examples of their applications to illustrate the physics present in alloy solidification. The examples demonstrate the utility of scaling analysis to explain the fundamental physics in a process and to demonstrate the limitations of simplifying assumptions. The article concludes with information on the solidification behavior of alloys as predicted by full numerical solutions of the transport equations.

Metal transparency and interaction with X-rays have been recognized as obvious candidate principles from which methods for in situ monitoring of solidification processes could be developed. This article describes the use of X-ray imaging-based techniques to investigate interface morphology evolution, solute transport, and various process phenomena at spatiotemporal resolutions. It discusses the three viable imaging techniques made available by synchrotron radiation for the real-time investigation of solidification microstructures in alloys. These include two-dimensional X-ray topography, two-dimensional X-ray radiography, and ultra-fast three-dimensional X-ray tomography.

For a wide range of new or better products, solidification processing of metallic materials from the melt is a step of uppermost importance in the industrial production chain. This article discusses the casting and solidification of molten metallic alloy along with the application of low-gravity platforms and facilities for solidification processing. It provides a description of dendritic growth studies and electromagnetic levitation. The article concludes with information on the in situ and real-time monitoring of solidification processing.

Thermal analysis is used to analyze solidification processes by recording the temperature as a function of time during cooling or heating of a metal or alloy to or from a temperature above its melting point. This article describes the use of cooling curves for analyzing a solidification process, such as the solidification temperature, structure analysis, fraction of phases and heat of fusion with focus on solidification of cast iron, and the use of cooling curves to control and adjust the casting conditions. It discusses deviations from equilibrium that occur due to kinetic effects during solidification. The article also illustrates the evaluation of fraction of solid formed during the precipitation of austenite from heat balance.

Solidification processing is one of the oldest manufacturing processes, because it is the principal component of metal casting processing. This article discusses the fundamentals of solidification of cast iron. Undercooling is a basic condition required for solidification. The article describes various undercooling methods, including kinetic undercooling, thermal undercooling, constitutional undercooling, and pressure undercooling. For solidification to occur, nuclei must form in the liquid. The article discusses the various types of nucleation: homogeneous nucleation, heterogeneous nucleation, and dynamic nucleation. It reviews the classification of eutectics based on their growth mechanism: cooperative growth and divorced growth. The article concludes with a discussion on the solidification structures of peritectics.

This article discusses the solidification of a matrix alloy in cast metal matrix composites (MMCs). It begins with a discussion on the mixing techniques in reinforcement incorporation and wettability of reinforcement. It describes the solidification processes, such as stir mixing and melt infiltration, used in the synthesis of MMCs. The article also considers the fundamentals of the process and presents a computational modeling of particle/solidification front interactions in metal-ceramic systems. The article concludes with information on nanocomposites.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) can be synthesized by vapor phase, liquid phase, or solid phase processes. This article emphasizes the liquid phase processing where solid reinforcements are incorporated in the molten metal or alloy melt that is allowed to solidify to form a composite. It illustrates the three broad categories of MMCs depending on the aspect ratio of the reinforcing phase. The categories include continuous fiber-reinforced composites, discontinuous or short fiber-reinforced composites, and particle-reinforced composites. The article discusses the two main classes of solidification processing of composites, namely, stir casting and melt infiltration. It describes the effects of reinforcement present in the liquid alloy on solidification. The article examines the automotive, space, and electronic packaging applications of MMCs. It concludes with information on the development of select cast MMCs.

Solidification is a comprehensive process of transformation of the melt of metals and alloys into a solid piece, involving formation of dendrites, segregation which involves change in composition, zone formation in final structure of the casting, and microporosity formation during shrinkage. This article describes the imperfections in the solidification process including porosity, inclusions, oxide films, secondary phases, hot tears, and metal penetration. It talks about the purpose of the gating system and the risering system in the casting process.

The control of the solidification process of cast iron requires understanding and control of the thermodynamics of the liquid and solid phases and of the kinetics of their solidification, including nucleation and growth. This article addresses issues that allow for the determination of probability of formation and relative stability of various phases. These include the influence of temperature and composition on solubility of various elements in iron-base alloys; calculation of solubility lines, relevant to the construction of phase diagrams; and calculation of activity of various components. It discusses the role of alloying elements in terms of their influence on the activity of carbon, which provides information on the stability of the main carbon-rich phases of iron-carbon alloys, that is, graphite and cementite. The article reviews the carbon solubility in multicomponent systems, along with saturation degree and carbon equivalent.

Calcium phosphates react to form more stable salts in aqueous solutions. This phenomenon has been applied to the solidification process for the dental and medical cement calcium phosphate cement, which consists of multiple phases of calcium phosphates and calcium salts; solidification occurs by the formation of hydroxyapatite. Dicalcium phosphate consists of crystal water along with anhydrous and dihydrate salts. This article summarizes research achievements regarding dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) production with controlled morphology and reactivity, including effects of an additive and of production conditions on precipitation. It also summarizes achievements made in the hybridization of nano-apatite onto DCPD particles.

In general, metal-matrix composites (MMCs) are classified into three broad categories: continuous fiber-reinforced composites, discontinuous or short fiber-reinforced composites, and particle-reinforced composites. This article focuses on stir casting and melt infiltration as the two main methods of MMC solidification processing. It describes the MCC casting methods, such as sand and permanent mold casting, centrifugal casting, compocasting, and high-pressure die casting. The article discusses the MMC infiltration processes in terms of pressure infiltration casting and liquid metal infiltration. It reviews the powder metallurgy processing of aluminum MMCs and deformation processing of discontinuously reinforced aluminum composites. The article concludes with a discussion on the processing of fiber-reinforced aluminum.

This article describes two rapid tooling technologies, namely, direct rapid tooling and indirect rapid tooling, for forging-die applications. Commonly used direct rapid tooling technologies include selective laser sintering, three-dimensional printing, and laser-engineered net shape process. The indirect rapid tooling technologies include 3D Keltool process, hot isostatic pressing, rapid solidification process tooling, precision spray forming, and radially constricted consolidation process.

Computational modeling assists in addressing the issues of solid/liquid interface dynamics at the microlevel. It also helps to visualize the grain length scale, fraction of phases, or even microstructure transitions through microstructure maps. This article provides a detailed account of the general capabilities of the various models that can generate microstructure maps and thus transform the computer into a dynamic microscope. These include standard transport models, phase-field models, Monte Carlo models, and cellular automaton models.