ENGINEERING MATERIALS

Lecturer: Muhammad Sulaiman

m.sulaiman@uet.edu.pk
Department of Chemical, Polymer and Composite Materials Engineering
University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore(KSK Campus)
Phase Diagram
Phase diagram is a graphical representation of the physical states of a
substance under different conditions of temperature and pressure.
1. One Component phase diagrams (Unary)
2. Two Component phase diagrams (Binary)
3. Three Component phase diagrams (Ternary)
 Phase Diagram
The understanding of phase diagrams for alloy systems is extremely
important because there is a strong correlation between
microstructure and mechanical properties
Moreover, phase diagrams also provide valuable information about
melting, casting and crystallization.
Three externally controllable factor effecting phase structure
include; temperature, pressure, and composition- and phase
diagrams are constructed when various combinations of these
parameters are plotted against one another.
Phase
Homogeneous portion of a system that has uniform physical and
chemical characteristics.
When a substance can exist in two or more polymorphic forms
(e.g., having both FCC and BCC structures), each of these structures
is a separate phase because their respective physical characteristics
differ.
Sometimes, a single-phase system is termed “homogeneous.”
Systems composed of two or more phases are termed “mixtures” or
“heterogeneous systems.”
Most metallic alloys and, for that matter, ceramic, polymeric, and
composite systems are heterogeneous.
MICROSTRUCTURE

Many times, the physical properties and, in particular, the

mechanical behavior of a material depend on the microstructure.
Microstructure is subject to direct microscopic observation, using
optical or electron microscopes.
In metal alloys, microstructure is characterized by the number of
phases present, their proportions, and the manner in which they
are distributed or arranged.
The microstructure of an alloy depends on such variables as the
alloying elements present, their concentrations, and the heat
treatment of the alloy (i.e., the temperature, the heating time at
temperature, and the rate of cooling to room temperature).
Components of Phase Diagrams:
Equilibrium Lines or Phase boundaries refer to lines that mark
conditions under which multiple phases can coexist at equilibrium.
Phase transitions occur along lines of equilibrium.
Triple points are points on phase diagram where lines of equilibrium
intersect. Triple points mark conditions at which three different
phases can coexist
Solidus Point is the temperature below which the substance is
stable in the solid state.
Liquidus Point is the temperature above which the substance is
stable in a liquid state.
There may be a gap between the solidus and Liquidus; within the gap, the
substance consists of a mixture of crystals and liquid (like a "slurry")
Components of Phase Diagrams:
Liquidus - The line separating the field of all liquid from that of liquid
plus crystals.
Solidus - The line separating the field of all solid from that of liquid
plus crystals.
Tie Line – The line which intersects the Liquidus and solidus line.
 Unary Phase Diagram
It represents one-component system, in which composition is held
constant (i.e. The phase diagram is for a pure substance); this means
that pressure and temperature are the variables
This one-component phase diagram (or unary phase diagram)
[sometimes also called a pressure–temperature (or P–T) diagram]
 Unary Phase Diagram
Pressure–temperature phase diagram for H2O

At 1 atm pressure with the solid-liquid phase boundary (point 2) corresponds to

the melting point at this pressure (T = Zero deg. C). Similarly, point 3,the
intersection with the liquid-vapor boundary, represents the boiling point (T = 100
deg. C).
Phase Diagram……Binary Mixture
Binary phase diagrams are maps that represent the relationships
between temperature and compositions and quantities of phases at
equilibrium, which influence the microstructure of an alloy (Binary
system)

Mixture / Alloy Types:

Simple Eutectic type: Two components are soluble in each other in
liquid state but completely insoluble in solid state.

Solid Solution Type: Two components are soluble in each other both in
the liquid and solid state.

Combination Type: Two components are soluble in each other in liquid

state but only partially soluble in solid state .
 Phase Diagram……Binary Mixture
Another type of extremely common phase diagram is one in which
temperature and composition are variable parameters, and pressure
is held constant—normally 1 atm.
We will concern ourselves with binary alloys—those that contain two
components
These represent the relationships between temperature and the
compositions and quantities of phases at equilibrium, which influence
the microstructure of an alloy
Binary phase diagrams are helpful in predicting phase
transformations and the resulting microstructures.
Phase Diagram……Binary Mixture
Phase Diagram……Binary Mixture
INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS

For a binary system of known composition and temperature

that is at equilibrium, at least three kinds of information are
available:
1. Phases that are present.
2. Compositions of these phases.
3. Percentages or fractions of the phases.
INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS
Phases Present: Just locate the temperature–composition point on the
diagram and notes the phase(s) with which the corresponding phase
field is labeled.
For example, an alloy of composition 60 wt% Ni–40 wt% Cu at 1100 ◦C
would be located at point A, since this is within the region, only the
single phase will be present. On the other hand, a 35 wt% Ni–65 wt% Cu
alloy at (point B) will consist of both α and liquid phases at equilibrium.
INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS
Determination of Phase Compositions: Locate the temperature–
composition point on the phase diagram.
For example, consider the 60 wt% Ni–40 wt% Cu alloy at 1100 ◦C. At
this composition and temperature, only the α phase is present, having
a composition of 60 wt% Ni–40 wt% Cu.
Note: For an alloy having composition and temperature located in a
two-phase region (consider tie-line).
1. A tie line is constructed across the two-phase region at the
temperature of the alloy
2. The intersections of the tie-line and the phase boundaries on
either side are noted.
3. Perpendiculars are dropped from these intersections to the
horizontal composition axis, from which the composition of each
of the respective phases is read.
 INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS
For example
Consider again the 35 wt% Ni–65 wt% Cu alloy at 1250 ◦C located at
point B (α+L region). The perpendicular from the intersection of the
tie line with the Liquidus boundary meets the composition axis at 31.5
wt% Ni–68.5 wt% Cu, which is the composition of the liquid phase,.
Likewise, for the solidus–tie line intersection, we find a composition
for the solid-solution phase of 42.5 wt% Ni–57.5 wt% Cu.
Phase Diagram……Binary Mixture

Composition of Liquid
Composition of Alloy
Composition of Solid
INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS
Determination of Phase Amounts
The relative amounts (as fraction or as percentage) of the phases
present at equilibrium may also be computed with the aid of phase
diagrams
From the previous example for the 60 wt% Ni–40 wt% Cu alloy at
(point A),only α phase is present; hence, the alloy is completely or
100% α
If the composition and temperature position is located within a
two-phase region, things are more complex (apply lever rule).
INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS
Lever-Rule:
1. The tie line is constructed across the two-phase region at the
temperature of the alloy.
2. The overall alloy composition is located on the tie line.
3. The fraction of one phase is computed by taking the length of tie
line from the overall alloy composition to the phase boundary for
the other phase, and dividing by the total tie line length.
4. The fraction of the other phase is determined in the same manner.
5. If phase percentages are desired, each phase fraction is multiplied
by 100.When the composition axis is scaled in weight percent, the
phase fractions computed using the lever rule are mass fractions—
the mass (or weight) of a specific phase divided by the total alloy
mass (or weight). The mass of each phase is computed from the
product of each phase fraction and the total alloy mass.
INTERPRETATION OF PHASE DIAGRAMS
Equilibrium Cooling (35wt% Ni–65 wt% Cu Alloy) at 1300C
 Equilibrium Cooling (35wt% Ni–65 wt% Cu
Alloy) at 1300C

At point a, the alloy is completely liquid (of composition 35 wt% Ni–
65 wt% Cu)
At point b,1260 ◦C the first solid begins to form, which has a
composition dictated by the tie line drawn at this temperature
[i.e.,46 wt% Ni–54 wt% Cu, noted as (46 Ni)]
At 1250 ◦C point c, the compositions of the liquid and α phases are
32 wt% Ni–68 wt% Cu [L(32 Ni)] and 43 wt% Ni–57 wt% Cu [(43 Ni)],
respectively
The solidification process is virtually complete at about point d; the
composition of the solid is approximately 35 wt% Ni–65 wt% Cu
while that of the last remaining liquid is 24 wt% Ni–76 wt% Cu
At point e, subsequent cooling will produce no micro-structural or
compositional alterations.