Abstract
Solidification paths of three ternary monotectic alloy systems, Al–Bi–Zn, Al–Sn–Cu and Al–Bi–Cu, are studied using thermodynamic
calculations, both for the pertinent phase diagrams and also for specific details concerning the solidification of selected alloy compositions.
The coupled composition variation in two different liquids is quantitatively given. Various ternary monotectic four-phase reactions
are encountered during solidification, as opposed to the simple binary monotectic, L0 ? L00 + solid. These intricacies are reflected in the
solidification microstructures, as demonstrated for these three aluminum alloy systems, selected in view of their distinctive features. This
examination of solidification paths and microstructure formation may be relevant for advanced solidification processing of multicomponent
monotectic alloys.