Materials Science and

Engineering

ME 112 – MSE
Module 8
Phase Diagram

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Materials Science and
Engineering Modules/chapters
Introduction
Atomic Structure and Interatomic Bonding
The Structure of Crystalline Solids
Imperfections in Solids
Diffusion
Mechanical Properties of Metals
Failure
Phase Diagrams
Phase Transformations: Development of Microstructure
Applications and Processing of Metals and Alloys
Ceramics
Polymers
Composites
Biomaterials/Electronic Materials
Properties of Materials (Electric, Thermal, Magnetic and Optical) NITK, Surathkal
Materials Science and
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Phase diagrams provide valuable information about melting, casting,
crystallization, and other phenomena.

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 Materials Science and
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Equilibrium phase diagram/Phase diagram/equilibrium
diagram : A diagram in the space of relevant thermodynamic
variable ( temperature, pressure etc.) indicating phase in
equilibrium.

Phase: A chemically homogeneous physically distinct and

mechanical separable part of a system. Three phase of a
matter such as solid, liquid and gas

Solid phase: different crystal structure will be considered

different phase for example Iron (Fe) in room temperature
BCC(α) while at higher temperature CCY(γ) phase both
chemical composition and solid phase are same.

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Component: Independent chemical species (element/ compound) in terms of
which composition of system specified

S.No System Component Phase

1. water H2O Liquid

2. Water +Ice H2O Liquid +solid

3. Brine Nacl, H2O Liquid

4. Mild steel Fe, C α , Fe3C

Gibb’s Phase rule explain the relation of the number of components, no

of phases and degrees of freedom.
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Type of phase diagram based on the number of components

• Unary Diagram: single component
• Binary Diagram: Two components
• Ternary Diagram: Three components

Constitution Point: A point (x, T) on the phase diagram

represent the alloy of composition x held in equilibrium
temperature T.

For any constituent point, P (x, T) phase diagram (Binary)

can be used for

• What are the phase present in equilibrium?

• What are the composition of phases present?
• What are the relative amount of phases?
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Materials Science and
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What are the phase present in equilibrium?

Constituent point A has 68 wt% Ni at 1100 0C

Phase: α phase

Constituent point B has 38 wt% Ni at 1200 0C

Phase: L+ α

Constituent Point C has 42 wt% Ni at 1380 0C

Phase: L

The 1-2-1 rule

if we move horizontally (isotherm) from one single

phase (eg. L) to another single phase(eg. α) then there
will always be a 2 phase L+α region in between

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 Materials Science and
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Fraction or % of different components. It can represent wt% (weight
percentage)or atom%.

Co alloy composition (fraction of components in the whole alloy)

Cphase phase composition (fraction of components in a given phase)

Point A 68 wt% Ni at 1100 0C

Phase: α
Cα = 68 wt% Ni
= C0
For single phase at the phase composition= alloy composition

Point B 38 wt% Ni at 1200 0C CL Cα

Phase: L+ α
Tie line: an isotherm in the 2phase region running from one boundary to other.
CL = 20 wt% , Cα = 48 wt%
C0 = 34 wt%

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Materials Science and
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The relative amount of Phases
fα proportion of α in the whole alloy
Cα proportion of a component in phase α

Point A 68 wt% Ni at 1100 0C

Phase: α
Cα = C0 = 68 wt% Ni
Q
fα = 1 or (100%) P

Point B 38 wt% Ni at 1200 0C

Phase: L+ α
CL = 20 wt% , Cα = 48 wt% CL Cα

Lever Rule for the relative position

𝑂𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑚
fα =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑚

𝑃𝐵 38−20
fα = = =0.64
𝑃𝑄 48−20
fL = 1- fα NITK, Surathkal
fL= 0.36
Materials Science and
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Microstructure evolution during
solidification Isomorphous

Schematic representation of the development of

microstructure during the equilibrium solidification of a NITK, Surathkal
35 wt% Ni–65 wt% Cu alloy
Materials Science and
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The copper–silver phase diagram.

The lead–tin phase diagram
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Development of microstructure in
Eutectic alloys

Schematic
representations of
the equilibrium
microstructures
for a lead–tin
alloy of
composition C2
as it is cooled
from the liquid-
phase region

Schematic representations of the equilibrium

microstructures for a lead–tin alloy of composition C1 NITK, Surathkal
as it is cooled from the liquid-phase region.
Materials Science and
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Cont…

Schematic representations of the

equilibrium microstructures for a
lead–tin alloy of eutectic composition
C3 above and below the eutectic
temperature.

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Materials Science and
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Cont…

Schematic representation of the formation Photomicrograph showing the microstructure of a lead–

of the eutectic structure for the lead–tin tin alloy of eutectic composition
system. Directions of diffusion of tin and
lead atoms are indicated by blue and red NITK, Surathkal
arrows, respectively.
Materials Science and
Engineering Hypoeutectoid and hypereutectoid alloys

Phases in hypoeutectic alloy

above Te (L+ α)

Microstructure evolution in
hypoeutectic alloy
[Proeutectic α+ Eutectic
Mixture (α+β)] just below the
Te

These are microconstituents

of hypoeutectic alloy

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To determine the microconstituents we need to

draw the tie line in two-phase region above the
eutectic temperature Te

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Materials Science and
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To determine the microconstituents we need to

draw the tie line in two-phase region below the
eutectic temperature Te

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Gibb’s Phase rule
Gibbs phase rule related a relation between
• P is the number of phases in the equilibrium
• C is the number of components in the alloy system
• F is the degree of freedom

Thermodynamic Variables for Gibbs Phase rule

Pressure and temperature (both are variable)
If pressure is fixed, then only the temperature is variable

Composition variable
Only phase composition are considered as variable
Overall alloy composition is not a variable except when we have
single phase equilibrium when alloy composition is also a phase
composition NITK, Surathkal
Materials Science and
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No of composition variables

if there are C components then one need to specify C-1 composition for each
phase

For P phase one needs P (C-1) composition variables

Total number of variables

V= P(C-1)+2 [If pressure and temperature are variable]

V= P(C-1)+1 [if pressure is constant only temperature variable]

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Degree of Freedom

F= No of thermodynamic variable which can be specified independently without

changing the phases in equilibrium.

Since there is thermodynamic equilibrium, there are equilibrium relations

between the thermodynamic variables. If we specify a certain number of
variables other are automatically fixed by these equilibrium relation
F≤V

Gibbs phase rule

F= C-P+2 [If pressure and temperature are variable]

F= C-P+1 [if pressure is constant only temperature variable]
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Materials Science and Gibbs phase rule
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Materials Science and
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The Iron-Iron Carbide (Fe- Fe3C) phase
diagram
The iron–iron carbide phase
diagram

Peritectic

Eutectic
Steel Cast Iron

Eutectoid

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Phases in Fe-C system

δ Ferrite : Interstitial solid solution of C in

δ–Fe (BCC) high temperature

γ Austenite : Interstitial solid solution of C

in CCP Fe

αFerrite : Interstitial solid solution of C in

BCC Fe, low temperature

Fe3C Cementite: Intermetallic compound of

Fe and C( orthorhombic crystal system)

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Materials Science and The Eutectoid reaction
Engineering

0.76

Hypoeutectoid
steel
Hypereutectoid
steel

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Microstructure of
hypoeutectoid steel
The fraction of pearlite, Wp, may be determined according to

0.022

0.76

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Materials Science and
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hypereutectoid steel
fractions of pearlite Wp and proeutectoid cementite WFe3C′ are determined
from the following lever rule expressions:

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Materials Science and
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Materials Science and
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Materials Science and
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Thank You

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