Gravitational influence on binary alloy melt equilibria

Micro- and macrosegregation, the nonuniform redistribution of solute during solidification, are common to both casting and welding, processes of fundamental importance in materials engineering. In multicomponent crystal growth where solid/liquid density differences are appreciable gravity-induced separation can lead to significant spatial variations in resulting ingot composition. In fact, this phenomenon is also operative in liquid/liquid systems such as monotectic alloys exhibiting a liquid miscibility gap, where buoyancy-driven flows can result in a sometimes unwanted separation of phases upon cooling through the miscibility dome.