Phase-field modeling of eutectic Ti–Fe alloy solidification

The eutectic microstructure formed during the solidification of a binary titanium–iron alloy (Ti–29.5 at.% Fe) has been simulated using the phase-field method. The model uses the chemical free energy contributions of phases with different thermodynamic factors. It is demonstrated that the simulated microstructure exhibits phenomena which are also observed during eutectic solidification in experiments. The obtained microstructure consist of a combination of circular and lamellar phase structures. The growth behavior and growth morphology of the phases are found to be a strong function of the front undercooling and the temperature gradient in the system. The simulated dependency of the steady state lamellar width versus the front undercooling corresponds to the theoretical prediction following from the “Jackson–Hunt” model. It is also shown that the relation between the mobilities of the phases strongly affects the eutectic microstructure.