Application of X-ray radioscopic methods for characterization of two-phase phenomena and solidification processes in metallic melts

X-ray attenuation techniques are an important diagnostic tool for investigating liquid metal two-phase flows or solidification studies in metallic alloys. X-ray visualization enables a general, intuitive understanding of flow phenomena or pattern formation in opaque liquid metal systems. Real-time and in-situ observations of the density distribution within thin solidifying samples achieve a spatial resolution of a few microns and contribute significantly to an improved understanding of dendritic growth processes. Moreover, X-ray radioscopy is a useful tool for a non-invasive, in-situ visualization and characterization of gas bubbles in nontransparent melts or for observations of the formation of metal foams. In this paper we consider three different fields of application which are under intensive investigation at HZDR and TUD: the bottom-up solidification of Ga-In alloys under the influence of buoyancy-driven and electromagnetically driven convection, the injection of Ar gas into liquid GaInSn, the study of Al foams with respect to foam formation and the characterization of their internal structure.