9512708 Cummins The proposed U.S.-Brazil collaborative research will use experiments with a class of materials closely related to metallic alloys to test a recently advanced non-steady-state theory of interface evolution. Based on materials discovered in 1965 but using techniques of videomicroscopy and computerized image analysis, the relevant characteristics of the interface profile and solute concentration field will be observed, extracted, and analyzed. The project, led by Herman Cummins at CUNY in New York and Oscar Mesquita at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, will use equipment available at both sites. A second objective will be to investigate the nature of the planar-to-cellular bifurcation, with potential implications for materials preparation and design. The research addresses a question of both theoretical and practical importance using the latest methods. The ability to attack complex, non-linear problems of the nature proposed has only developed in the past few years, opening the way for the proposed research. The project pairs U.S. and Brazilian investigators with experience in related problems, promising valuable results. ***
