ESL: liquid below freezing
Liquid below freezing
March 9, 1998: Undercooling at first
So long as no atoms or molecules join to form a solid nucleus, the sample remains liquid. Once a solid forms, though, it spreads rapidly through the sample, and another contradiction occurs. The temperature rises rapidly as the latent heat of fusion is released, an effect called recalescence, and a flash of light often is seen. Then the sample cools as it completes the change from liquid to solid.
The temperature profile as the sample is heated and cooled (like the example at right), and during recalescence, is important to studies to understand the basic physical properties of different alloys.
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Author: Dave
Dooling
Curator: Bryan Walls
NASA Official: John M. Horack