Measurements are carried out for dendrite tip growth of succinonitrile-acetone alloys solidifying freely in an undercooled melt. The current experimental investigation is conducted using the equiaxed dendritic solidification experiment (EDSE). This setup allows for precise measurements of the dendrite tip velocity, radius and shape for a range of undercoolings and solute concentrations. The collected data are compared to available theories of free dendritic growth, such as the Lipton-Glicksman-Kurz and Li-Beckermann models. It is found that for dilute succinonitrile-acetone alloys, the measured dendrite tip Péclet numbers agree well with previous theories of free dendritic growth, if the effects of melt convection are taken into account. The tip selection parameter deviates significantly from the pure succinonitrile value and is inversely related to the applied undercooling. Besides, the selection parameter shows no dependence on the solute concentration. These results are consistent with phase-field simulations and preceding experimental investigations. In addition, scaling relationships for the sidebranching shape were obtained in terms of the dendritic envelope, projection area and contour length. These new scaling relations agree well with previous measurements in pure succinonitrile dendrites by Li and Beckermann.
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