Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS)

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Introduction

Metals and alloys are almost always cast from a liquid at some point during the manufacturing process, as they are typically obtained from their ores in liquid form, or melted down from scrap. Also, alloying two or more elements is usually done in the liquid phase, because rapid diffusion is required to ensure a uniform composition. This means that an understanding of how metals and alloys solidify is essential to allow us to explain and control the properties of the solid that is formed.