Free dendrite growth under modulated flow in pure substances: Two-dimensional phase-field simulations

Abstract

The free dendrite growth in a pure substance, supposed to a parallel forced convection which is modulated in time, is studied using two-dimensional phase-field simulations. We show that the response of the tip velocity to the velocity pulses exhibits a first-order time delay. Most notably, when the pulse duration is chosen appropriately a resonant side-branching can be achieved. This provides a way to manipulate the dendrite morphology and consequently its mechanical properties.