Compact x-ray microradiograph for in situ imaging of solidification processes: bringing in situ x-ray micro-imaging from the synchrotron to the laboratory.

A laboratory based high resolution x-ray radiograph was developed for the investigation of solidification dynamics in alloys. It is based on a low-power microfocus x-ray tube and is potentially appropriate for x-ray diagnostics in space. The x-ray microscope offers a high spatial resolution down to approximately 5 µm. Dynamic processes can be resolved with a frequency of up to 6 Hz. In reference experiments, the setup was optimized to yield a high contrast for AlCu-alloys. With samples of about 150 µm thickness, high quality image sequences of the solidification process were obtained with high resolution in time and space.