Stabilization of the Ternary Eutectic Growth in Additively Manufactured AlNiCe Alloys

Coupled eutectic growth is known to favor enhanced materials’ mechanical properties, owing to the small‐scale composite microstructure that it produces upon solidification. Herein, the stabilization of ternary coupled growth of the three solid phases fcc‐Al, Ni, and in the AlNiCe ternary alloy is studied. The four alloys under laser powder bed fusion conditions are experimentally investigated and phase‐field simulations that are useful to understand qualitatively the solidification path are performed. The results tend to confirm the presence of a skewed coupled zone for the ternary coupled growth, and that this coupled zone exists for nominal compositions of the alloy around the equiatomic Al‐ x Ni‐ x Ce. The value of x should then increase with the solidification velocity for ternary coupled growth to occur.