Assignment No.

3 Due date: 21st May, 2018

Course: Materials Science I
CODE: EG 244
THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Mechanical Engineering Department
Day students submit in groups
(10 students per group)
Submit only questions marked
by *

*QUESTION 1

Presented below is the aluminium-rich end of the Al-Cu binary phase diagram, which is the basis of
many high-strength aluminium alloys. You may assume that all the phase boundaries may be described
by straight lines (not necessarily the case in reality).

For an alloy containing 4wt.% Cu,

a) Calculate, assuming slow cooling, the volume fraction and composition of the solid at 600𝑜 𝐶
b) For slow cooling, at what temperature does solidification complete?
c) Sketch the solidified microstructure you would expect to observe.

*QUESTION 2

For the binary system Cu-Ni the following data are available from cooling experiments:
 𝑇𝑜𝐶 Melt composition (atomic % Ni) Composition of solid first formed on cooling (atomic% Ni)
1100 3 10
1180 20 37
1260 40 57
1340 60 73
1410 80 87

a) From these data and information provided in the Periodic Table, construct the phase diagram (T vs
C).
b) At each of the following (T, C) coordinates, i.e., combinations of temperature and composition,
what are the phases present and what are their respective compositions?

𝑇𝑜𝐶 Composition (atomic % Ni)

1120 15
1200 55
1300 60

QUESTION 3

Draw schematic phase diagrams for binary systems with the following
a) Complete liquid and solid solubility
b) Complete liquid but zero solid solubility
c) Complete liquid and limited solid solubility. (In your sketches label phase fields and give
characteristic temperatures.)

QUESTION 4

Sketch the unary phase diagram (pressure vs temperature) of water. Indicate the normal melting point
(𝑃 = 1 𝑎𝑡𝑚), normal boiling point and triple point. Label all phase fields. On the diagram label one
example of each: (i) one-phase stability; (ii) two-phase coexistence; (iii) three-phase coexistence. For
clarity, do not draw to scale.

*QUESTION 5

The figure below shows the lead–tin phase diagram.

i. Cite the phases that are present and the phase compositions for 75 𝑤𝑡% Sn-25 𝑤𝑡% Pb
at 175°𝐶.
ii. Determine the relative amounts (in terms of mass fractions) of the phases for the alloys
for 75 𝑤𝑡% Sn-25 𝑤𝑡% Pb at 175°𝐶.
iii. A 30 𝑤𝑡% Sn-70 𝑤𝑡% Pb alloy is heated to a temperature within the 𝛼 + 𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑 phase
region. If the mass fraction of each phase is 0.5, estimate the temperature of the alloy
and the compositions of the two phases
lead–tin phase diagram