Seeding of single-crystal superalloys — Role of constitutional undercooling and primary dendrite orientation on stray-grain nucleation and growth

An experimental study, together with a two-dimensional numerical simulation of solute segregation, was conducted to investigate (1) the mechanism for stray-grain nucleation following seed melt-back and initial withdrawal and (2) the role of the primary dendrite disposition of the seed crystal in relation to the mold wall during growth. It is proposed that the factors contributing to stray-grain nucleation during initial withdrawal are (1) the magnitude of local, solute-adjusted undercooling and (2) the rapidly changing curvature of the solidification front close to the mold walls during the initial solidification transient. Based upon the calculated local undercooling and experimentally observed stray-grain morphologies, it was concluded that stray grains nucleate near the mold wall around the seed perimeter and behind the columnar dendrites that advance into the bulk liquid ahead of the melt-back zone. These grains then compete during growth with the dendrites originating from the seed. Therefore, the morphological constraints arising from the inclination of the primary dendrites from the seed crystal with respect to the mold wall (converging/diverging/axial 〈001〉) determines the probability of the stray-grain nuclei developing into equiaxed/columnar grains following competitive growth.