Alloying elements solid solutions

Many of the alloying elements used with Mg, e.g. Al, Zn, and R s, have limited solid solubility in Mg at room temperature. As a result, the microstructure may contain coarse intermetallic particles in addition to the Mg-alloying element solid solution. Such a microstructure is not conducive to good corrosion resistance because intermetallic particles are quite often preferential sites for corrosion initiation. 

The various classes of metallic phases that may be encountered in crystalline alloys include substantially pure elements, solid solutions of one element in another and intermetallic compounds. In crystalline form, alloys are subject to the same type of defects as pure metals. Crystalline alloys may consist of a solid solution of one or more elements (solutes) in the major (base) component, or they may contain more than one phase. That is, adjacent grains may have slightly or extremely different compositions and be of identical or disparate crystallographic types. Often, there is one predominant phase, known as the matrix, and other secondary phases, called precipitates. The presence of these kinds of inhomogeneities often results in the alloy having radically different mechanical properties and chemical reactivities from the pure constituent elements. (Noel)5... 

I ig. 3.43. formation range of the quasicrystalline phase in mechanically alloyed Al-Cn Mn ( >) suliil solution, ( ) elements + solid solution quasicrystalline (4 ) quasicrystalline + solul solution ( I) quasicrystalline + elements... 

Alkynes. Hydrocarbons that contain one or more carbon-carbon triple bonds. They have the general formula C H2 - 2> where n = 2,3,. (24.2) Allotropes. Two or more forms of the same element that differ significantly in chemical and physical properties. (2.6) Alloy. A solid solution composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals with one or more nonmetals. (20.2) Alpha particles. See alpha rays. 

Since the 1970s, the search for improved materials has led to a better understanding of the role of additives in the densification and microstructural development of silicon nitride-based ceramics and the consequences for final properties [1, 6]. Improvements in powder manufacture and forming techniques and the development of alternative firing processes has led to a complete family of materials including RBSN, HPSN, sintered silicon nitride (SSN), sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride (SRBSN), gas-pressure sintered silicon nitride (GPSSN), hot isostatically pressed silicon nitride (HIPSN) and silicon nitride alloys or solid solutions termed SiAlONs, based on their elemental components. 

Specific Heat. The specific heat of aluminium in the solid state increases continuously from 0 at 0 K to a maximum at the melting point. This is only the case with alloys when there are no solid state reactions. The effect of alloying elements in solution is not very marked. 

The effects of principal alloying elements on solution potential of high-purity aluminum are shown in Fig. 4. For each element, the significant changes that occur do so within the range in which the element is completely in solid solution. Further addition of the same element, which forms a second phase, causes little additional change in solution potential. 

The composition of turbine blades is a complex mixture of alloying elements in solid solution in nickel. A typical alloy would contain Al, Cr, Mo, Co or Ta in amounts up to 10 atom per cent of the particular elements which are chosen. Of drese all except cobalt form substantially more stable oxides than... 

As you can see from the tables in Chapter 1, few metals are used in their pure state -they nearly always have other elements added to them which turn them into alloys and give them better mechanical properties. The alloying elements will always dissolve in the basic metal to form solid solutions, although the solubility can vary between <0.01% and 100% depending on the combinations of elements we choose. As examples, the iron in a carbon steel can only dissolve 0.007% carbon at room temperature the copper in brass can dissolve more than 30% zinc and the copper-nickel system - the basis of the monels and the cupronickels - has complete solid solubility. 

A phase is a region of material that has uniform physical and chemical properties. Phases are often given Greek symbols, like a or fi. But when a phase consists of a solid solution of an alloying element in a host metal, a clearer symbol can be used. As an example, the phases in the lead-tin system may be symbolised as (Pb) - for the solution of tin in lead, and (Sn) - for the solution of lead in tin. 

Solution hardening is not confined to 5000 series aluminium alloys. The other alloy series all have elements dissolved in solid solution and they are all solution strengthened to some degree. But most aluminium alloys owe their strength to fine precipitates of intermetallic compounds, and solution strengthening is not dominant... 

Take the silica-alumina system as an example. It is convenient to treat the components as the two pure oxides SiOj and AI2O3 (instead of the three elements Si, A1 and O). Then the phase diagram is particularly simple, as shown in Fig. 16.6. There is a compound, mullite, with the composition (Si02)2 (Al203)3, which is slightly more stable than the simple solid solution, so the alloys break up into mixtures of mullite and alumina, or mullite and silica. The phase diagram has two eutectics, but is otherwise straightforward. 

It must be noted that the values of Dq and E are influenced by the concentration of the solute metal and also by the presence of alloying elements in the solvent. It has also been shown that the diffusion coefficient for a given solute is in inverse proportion to the melting point of the solvent. D is least for metals forming continuous series of solid solutions and for self-diffusion. 

When a pure metal A is alloyed with a small amount of element B, the result is ideally a homogeneous random mixture of the two atomic species A and B, which is known as a solid solution of in 4. The solute B atoms may take up either interstitial or substitutional positions with respect to the solvent atoms A, as illustrated in Figs. 20.37a and b, respectively. Interstitial solid solutions are only formed with solute atoms that are much smaller than the solvent atoms, as is obvious from Fig. 20.37a for the purpose of this section only three interstitial solid solutions are of importance, i.e. Fc-C, Fe-N and Fe-H. On the other hand, the solid solutions formed between two metals, as for example in Cu-Ag and Cu-Ni alloys, are always substitutional (Fig. 20.376). Occasionally, substitutional solid solutions are formed in which the... 

But in metals it is relatively common for solid solutions to form. The atoms of one element may enter the crystal of another element if their atoms are of similar size. Gold and copper form such solid solutions. The gold atoms can replace copper atoms in the copper crystal and, in the same way, copper atoms can replace gold atoms in the gold crystal. Such solid solutions are called alloys. Some solid metals dissolve hydrogen or carbon atoms—steel is iron containing a small amount of dissolved carbon. 

We have already learned that metals may be deformed easily and we have explained this in terms of the absence of directional character in metallic bonding. In view of this principle, it is not surprising that two-element or three-element metallic crystals exist. In some of these, regular arrangements of two or more types of atoms are found. The composition then is expressed in simple integer ratios, so these are called metallic compounds. In other cases, a fraction of the atoms of the major constituent have been replaced by atoms of one or more other elements. Such a substance is called a solid solution. These metals containing two or more types of atoms are called alloys. 

In connection with a discussion of alloys of aluminum and zinc (Pauling, 1949) it was pointed out that an element present in very small quantity in solid solution in another element would have a tendency to assume the valence of the second element. The upper straight line in Fig. 2 is drawn between the value of the lattice constant for pure lead and that calculated for thallium with valence 2-14, equal to that of lead in the state of the pure element. It is seen that it passes through the experimental values of aQ for the alloys with 4-9 and 11-2 atomic percent thallium, thus supporting the suggestion that in these dilute alloys thallium has assumed the same valence as its solvent, lead. 

Scheme 5.1. Alloy formation and segregation in bimetallic systems with one of the metals present as a minority. The scheme qualitatively predicts whether two elements form a surface alloy or a solid solution. The results are valid in vacuum. As soon as an adsorbing gas is...

Solid solutions are very common among structurally related compounds. Just as metallic elements of similar structure and atomic properties form alloys, certain chemical compounds can be combined to produce derivative solid solutions, which may permit realization of properties not found in either of the precursors. The combinations of binary compounds with common anion or common cation element, such as the isovalent alloys of IV-VI, III-V, II-VI, or I-VII members, are of considerable scientific and technological interest as their solid-state properties (e.g., electric and optical such as type of conductivity, current carrier density, band gap) modulate regularly over a wide range through variations in composition. A general descriptive scheme for such alloys is as follows [41]. 

Numerous ternary systems are known for II-VI structures incorporating elements from other groups of the Periodic Table. One example is the Zn-Fe-S system Zn(II) and Fe(II) may substimte each other in chalcogenide structures as both are divalent and have similar radii. The cubic polymorphs of ZnS and FeS have almost identical lattice constant a = 5.3 A) and form solid solutions in the entire range of composition. The optical band gap of these alloys varies (rather anomalously) within the limits of the ZnS (3.6 eV) and FeS (0.95 eV) values. The properties of Zn Fei-xS are well suited for thin film heterojunction-based solar cells as well as for photoluminescent and electroluminescent devices. 

---