Chapter 16 Precipitation Hardening

16.5 Assume that a spherical precipitate particle forms in an age hardening alloy and that the
volume free-energy change associated with the formation of the particle is -60 MJ/m3. The
energy of the interface between the particle and the matrix is 0.40 J/m2. With the aid of Eq.
15.3 [G = (4/3)r3(gvl/vl) + 4r2] plot the free energy of a particle as a function of its radius
from r = 0 to r = 310-8 m. With the aid of this diagram determine r0 and Gr0 for the
conditions of this problem.
g vl J J
 60  106 3 ,   0.40 2
vl m m
4 3 g vl
G  r  4r 2
3 vl

 J 
2   0 .4 2 
2  m 
r0     1.333  10 8 m
g vl
 6 J 
  60  10 3 
vl  m 

4r 2  2

 J 
4  1.333  10 8 m   0.4 2 
m 
Gr0  0
   2.979  10 16 J
3 3

16.6 Assume that the precipitate in Prob. 16.5 has a total volume fraction of 1.5 percent and that the
particles are all of the same size, with a radius equal to twice the critical radius.
(a) Compute the number of particles per cubic meter.
(b) Compute the total change in free energy due to the formation of all the precipitate
particles in a cubic meter. (r0: 1.3510-8 m, gvl/vl: -6107 J/m3, : 0.4 J/m2)
(a) Assume a total volume of 1 m3. The total volume of precipitate particles is 0.015 m3.
  
rprepcipitate  2r0  2  1.35  10 8 m  2.70  10 8 m
0.015m3 0.015m 3
n precipitate    1.819  10 20
4 3
3
rprecipitate
4
3

  2.70  10 8 m
3

4 3 g vl 
(b) Gtotal  n precipitate Gr0  n precipitate  rprecipitate  4rprecipitat
2

e 
3 vl 

4
 3 
 J  2

 J 
Gr0    2.70  10 8 m    6  107 3   4  2.70  10 8 m   0.4 2  
3  m   m 
15
 Gr0  1.283  10 J
   
Gtotal  n precipitate Gr0  1.819  10 20   1.283  10 15 J  2.33  105 J

16.9 According to Leslie in the reference cited in Prob. 16.7, the particles formed during interphase
precipitation in a microalloyed HSLA steel have a diameter of about 5 nm. Assume that the
microalloying element is vanadium and that the interphase precipitate is vanadium carbide, VC.
What value of f, the volume fraction of these precipitates, would give an increase in strength of
200 MPa?
Note:  (MPa) = 5.9f1/2/X  ln(X/b), where  (MPa) is the stress, f is the volume fraction of the
precipitate, X is the mean linear intercept diameter of the precipitate particles and b is the
Burgers vector. In the case of iron, b = 2.510-4 m. In this equation X is expressed in m
units.
X  5nm  0.005m, b  2.5  10 4 m,   200MPa
2 2
   
5 .9 f 1/ 2
X  X   0.005  200 
  ln   f       0.05658 2
X b  5.9  ln X   5.9  ln  0 . 005  
     4  
b    2 . 5  10 
 f  0.003201