Pattern formation during melting of lamellar eutectics
Abstract
We present a study of the melting dynamics of a two-phase eutectic solid. In situ, thin-sample experiments using a transparent eutectic alloy and two-dimensional phase field simulations calibrated for the very same alloy are combined to assess pattern formation during directional melting in a temperature gradient. Depending on the melting velocity and the spacing of the pre-solidified lamellar microstructure, an unexpectedly rich diversity of melting patterns is observed, with good agreement between experiments and simulations. We unravel the different physical mechanisms leading to this diversity, and establish the scaling behaviors of (i) the penetration of the liquid along the solid-solid interface at large , (ii) the thickening of the primary-phase fingers at low , and (iii) a period-doubling instability for small values. Our study provides a fundamental basis for further investigations of eutectic melting, including additive manufacturing during which melting/solidification cycles take place.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.14821,
title = {Pattern formation during melting of lamellar eutectics},
author = {Rahul Nellissery Rajan and Rajesh Kumari Rajendran and Guillaume Boussinot and Kamal Sbargoud and Sabine Bottin-Rousseau and Silvère Akamatsu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.14821},
year = {2026}
}