LAUSR

Abstract Tip velocities of undercooled dendrites in electromagnetically levitated melt droplets of pure Ti were modeled using a theory on three-dimensional dendritic growth with fluid flow and a dilute solute. The modeling shows that a forced flow due to electromagnetic stirring depresses tip velocities of the dendrites at low undercoolings and that its effect becomes negligible at high undercoolings. In contrast, an oxygen impurity dissolved in liquid Ti depresses tip velocities of the dendrites over a broad range of undercooling while it coarsens tip radii. Such modeling results allowed for reconciliation of discrepancies in literature data by considering an oxygen impurity effect. The modeling also predicts that the effect of the oxygen impurity becomes insignificant when its concentration is reduced below 50 ppm in atomic fraction.