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06 Phase Diagrams
06 Phase Diagrams
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Why study phase equilibria?
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Why study phase equilibria?
Heat Treatment of
Materials
Phase Changes
Microstructure
Phase
Homogeneous portion of a system that has uniform
physical and chemical characteristics
A single-phase material is one that has the same
composition and structure at every point.
Every pure material is considered to be a phase; so
also is every solid, liquid, and gaseous solution.
vs
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Phase Definition
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Phase vs Component
Pure FCC Al is a single-component (Al), single-phase
(FCC) system.
A mixture of pure ice and pure water is a single-
component (H2O) system composed of two phases.
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Phase vs Component
A mixture of BCC iron and FCC iron is also a single-
component system composed of two phases.
A solid solution of Cu and Ni is a two-component single-
phase system (since Cu and Ni are soluble in each
other).
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Phase Equilibrium
It refers to the state of a system in which the phase
characteristics remain constant over indefinite periods
of time.
A system at equilibrium is a system in its most stable
state.
At equilibrium, the free energy of the system is a
minimum for some set combination of temperature,
pressure, and composition.
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Phase Equilibria
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Phase Equilibria
Often, metastable structures are of more practical
importance than equilibrium ones.
For example, some steel and aluminum
alloys rely for their strength on the
development of metastable microstructures
during carefully designed heat treatments.
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Phase Diagram
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One-Component Phase Diagram
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Phase Diagram for Water
The phase diagram is composed of regions of pressure
and temperature where only a single phase is stable.
Note that if the pressure and temperature are specified,
the equilibrium state of the system is established.
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Phase Diagram for Water
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Phase Diagram for Water
Phase Boundaries
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Phase Diagram for Water
Invariant Point
(Triple Point)
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Invariant/Triple Point
On the water phase diagram, three-phase equilibrium
occurs at a fixed temperature and pressure.
Equilibrium in which there is no freedom to change
variables is called invariant.
The invariant point for water, as mentioned
previously, is also called a triple point, since three
phases are in equilibrium.
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Binary Phase Diagrams
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Pressure is held constant while temperature and
composition may vary
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Solubility Limit
For many alloy systems and at some specific
temperature, there is a maximum concentration of solute
atoms that may dissolve in the solvent to form a solid
solution.
This is called the solubility limit.
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Binary Phase Systems
There are several types:
Isomorphous
Eutectic
Eutectoid
Peritectic
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Binary Isomorphous Systems
The simplest two-component system.
Complete solubility occurs over the entire
composition range in both the liquid and solid
states.
This behavior is characterized as “isomorphous”.
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Binary Isomorphous Systems
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Binary Isomorphous Systems
For metallic alloys, solid solutions are commonly
designated by lowercase Greek letters (, , ,
etc.).
The phase boundary separating the single-phase
liquid region from the two-phase (solid+liquid)
region is called a liquidus boundary.
The phase boundary separating the two-phase
(solid+liquid) region from the single-phase solid
region is called a solidus boundary.
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The Copper Nickel System
Nickel and copper are mutually soluble in each other
in the solid state for all compositions because
Both Cu and Ni have an FCC structure
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Important aspects:
Copper – Nickel Phase diagram liquidus and solidus line
melting points
phase boundaries 32
Binary Phase Diagrams
Melting Points
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Melting Points
For a binary isomorphous system, the solidus
and liquidus lines intersect at the two
composition extremities, corresponding to the
melting temperatures of the pure components.
For any composition other than pure
components, melting occurs over a range of
temperatures between the solidus and liquidus
lines.
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Determining Compositions
Pure phase
Copper – Nickel Phase diagram 60% Ni, 40% Cu
Solid solution
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Determining Compositions
+ L phase
35% Ni, 65% Cu
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Determining Compositions
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Determining Compositions
The composition of -
phase is 42.5 wt % Ni
– 57.5 wt % Cu
The composition of L-
phase is 31.5 wt % Ni
– 68.5 wt % Cu
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Binary Phase Diagrams
Determining Compositions
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Concept Check!
If a copper-nickel alloy of 70 wt%
Ni – 30 wt% Cu is slowly heated
from 1300 C
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Concept Check!
Is it possible to have a copper-
nickel alloy that at equilibrium
consist of an -phase of
composition 37wt% Ni – 63wt%
Cu, and also a liquid phase of
composition 20wt% Ni – 80 wt%
Cu?
If yes, what will be the
approximate temperature of the
alloy? If no, why is it not possible?
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Concept Check!
A solid solution consists of a liquid phase (L) and a solid
phase (). The overall composition of the solid solution is
45% A and 55% B. The liquid phase is composed of 10% A
and 90% B. The solid phase is composed of 60% A and
40% B. All percentages are weight percentages.
(1) How much liquid phase is present?
(2) How much solid phase is present?
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