MME 9602 Term Test

Module I: Metals
(Solutions)

October 25, 2018

This is a two-hour test.

Answer all nine questions in the space provided.

You are allowed the use of a calculator, with no text display capability.

The mark value of each question is on the next page.

1. Shown below are plots of interatomic bonding energy U versus interatomic spacing R for four
hypothetical metals. Based upon this plot, identify which metal has:

a) The largest thermal coefficient of expansion. (1 mark) METAL 3

b) The highest melting temperature. (1 mark) METAL 2

2. The figure below shows the diffusion coefficient D versus the reciprocal of the absolute melting
temperature (104/T) for a variety of metals. Use the graph to calculate the thermal activation energy of
diffusion Q, in units of Joules/mole, for the diffusion of carbon in FCC iron. The universal gas constant is
R = 8.314 Joules/mole.K. (4 marks)

𝑸
(− )
𝑫 = 𝑫𝟎 𝒆𝒙𝒑 𝑹𝑻

𝑸 𝟏
𝒍𝒏(𝑫) = 𝒍𝒏(𝑫𝟎 ) − ( )
𝑹 𝑻
Therefore the slope m of the ln(D) vs 1/T plot is

-Q/R.

Measuring the slope from the plot:

𝑸 𝒍𝒏(𝟖𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 ) − 𝒍𝒏(𝟐𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟖 )
𝒎=− ≈−
𝑹 𝟏𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟒 − 𝟒𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟒
≈ 𝟏𝟔𝟑𝟔𝟖. 𝟕(𝑲)

Q ≈ 16368.7 K(8.314 Joules/mole.K) ≈ 136089 Joule/mole

Q ≈ 136 kJ/mole
3. Why must one first cold-work a metal before one can reduce the grain size of the metal by
heating (i.e. recrystallizing)? (4 marks)

The cold-working provides the dislocations to the metal. The presence of these
dislocations increases the internal energy of the metal. This internal energy drives
the recrystallization process since this is the process whereby the metal lowers its
internal energy by thermally-assisted motion of the dislocations into low-energy
configurations (i.e. new grain boundaries).

4. The picture below shows two ideally close packed planes of atoms stacked upon each other.
Mark with an X the location were an atom of the third close packed plane would reside to create a Face
Centered Cubic crystal structure. (1 Mark):

X
5. Why is 1 to 3% silicon added when making grey cast iron? (2 marks)

1. Silicon makes the Fe3C unstable and it breaks down to Fe and C (graphite).
2. Silicon also lowers the surface energy of molten steel and makes it more
castable (i.e. fills molds more easily).
3. Silicon also reacts with oxygen in the molten steel to form SiO2. This
removes the oxygen impurity from the steel and makes it less brittle.
6. A certain metal contains an internal crack of 5 cm length. This metal fails by brittle fracture
from the crack when an applied stress of  = 220 MPa is applied. Calculate:

a) The critical stress intensity factor (in units of 𝑀𝑃𝑎√𝑚) of this metal. (2 marks)

b) The failure stress f if this metal contained a 5 cm long surface crack rather than the 5 cm
long internal crack. (2 marks)

𝑲𝑰𝑪 = 𝒇𝝈𝒇 √𝝅𝒂

Part (a):

Assume f = 1

This is an internal crack, therefore a = 5cm/2 = 2.5 cm = 0.025m

𝑲𝑰𝑪 = 𝟐𝟐𝟎𝑴𝑷𝒂√𝝅(𝟎. 𝟎𝟐𝟓𝒎) = 𝟔𝟏. 𝟔𝟓 𝑴𝑷𝒂√𝒎 ← (𝒂)

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 (𝒃): 𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂 = 𝟓 𝒄𝒎 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟓𝒎

𝑲𝑰𝑪 𝟔𝟏. 𝟔𝟓𝑴𝑷𝒂√𝒎

𝑲𝑰𝑪 = 𝒇𝝈𝒇 √𝝅𝒂 → 𝝈𝒇 = = = 𝟏𝟓𝟓. 𝟔 𝑴𝑷𝒂 ← (𝒃)
𝒇√𝝅𝒂 𝟏√𝝅(𝟎. 𝟎𝟓𝒎)
7. The Aluminum - Magnesium binary phase diagram is shown below.

a) Sketch the microstructure of an Al – 20 weight % Mg alloy that was slowly cooled from 6000C to
1000C. Be sure to label each phase in the microstructure. (4 marks)

b) Calculate the amount and composition of each phase present in this alloy at 100oC. (4 marks)

Part (a):

Proeutectic 

Parallel 

Part (b):
𝟑𝟔 − 𝟐𝟎
𝑨𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝜶 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 @ 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝑪 = 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟓𝟎%
𝟑𝟔 − 𝟒
Composition of the a phase ≈ 96% Al + 4% Mg
 8. The TTT diagram of a eutectoid steel is shown below. Prescribe a heat treatment consisting of
rapid quenching and isothermal annealing, at various temperatures if necessary, that would produce a
microstructure consisting of 50% pearlite and 50% bainite. Show your heat treatment on a plot of
Temperature versus Time. (6 marks)

A – Austenite
B – Bainite
P – Pearlite
M - Martensite

Heat to about 800C to convert the steel’s microstructure to 100% Austenite. Then
quench to 600C and hold at 600 C for about 8 seconds to produce a
microstructure of 50% Pearlite and 50% Austenite. Then quench to 300C and hold
at 300C for at least 5000 seconds (about 1.5 hours) to convert all the remaining
Austenite to Bainite.

Solution anneal at 800C to get 100% Austenite

Anneal at 600C for 8 sec. to get 50% Austenite + 50% Pearlite

T (C)

Anneal at 300C for 5000 sec. to get 50% Pearlite + 50% Bainite

Cool to room temperature.

time (s)
9. The following questions pertain to the process of metal solidification:

a) Why must one undercool a liquid to get it to solidify? (4 marks)

b) Why does a metal have a smaller, and more uniform, grain size when it is cooled rapidly? (2
marks)

Part (a):

One must cool a liquid to below its ideal melting temperature, Tm, to get it to
solidify because the solidification process doesn’t occur homogeneously but,
rather, occurs by small regions of liquid solidifying first and growing. The surface
of these solid regions has a characteristic surface energy which must be
extracted from the liquid by cooling to a temperature below Tm (i.e. by
undercooling).

Part (b):

When a liquid is cooled rapidly to a temperature below Tm the degree of

undercooling T is increased. The critical size r* of an insoluble solid particles
from which the solidification process can occur is a function of T as

2 sl Tm
r* 
H f T

Thus when T is large r* is small. As r* becomes smaller the number of solid

particles having a size of at least r* increases and thus the solidification process
occurs from many more sites in the molten metal. This causes the grain size to
be smaller and more uniform when the cooling rate is increased.