Directional solidification of Cr-Cr_3Si eutectic alloys has been carried out using a high temperature optical floating zone furnace. Uniform and well-aligned lamellar structures were obtained over a fairly wide range of intermediate growth rates but not at very low or very high growth rates where degenerate and cellular structures, respectively, were obtained. The lamellar spacing was found to increase with decreasing solidification rate, in agreement with tic Jackson-Hunt theory. In addition, for a fixed growth rate, the lamellar spacing was found to increase with increasing rotation rate. Lamellar structures could also be produced at off-eutectic compositions, but only for a limited range of growth conditions. The Cr-rich lamellae are effective in stopping indention cracks nucleated in the brittle Cr_3Si phase.
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