Alloying elements structure

As we have already seen, when an alloy contains more of the alloying element than the host metal can dissolve, it will split up into two phases. The two phases are "stuck" together by interphase boundaries which, again, have special properties of their own. We look first at two phases which have different chemical compositions but the same crystal structure (Fig. 2.5a). Provided they are oriented in the right way, the crystals can be made to match up at the boundary. Then, although there is a sharp change in... 

No fewer than 14 pure metals have densities se4.5 Mg (see Table 10.1). Of these, titanium, aluminium and magnesium are in common use as structural materials. Beryllium is difficult to work and is toxic, but it is used in moderate quantities for heat shields and structural members in rockets. Lithium is used as an alloying element in aluminium to lower its density and save weight on airframes. Yttrium has an excellent set of properties and, although scarce, may eventually find applications in the nuclear-powered aircraft project. But the majority are unsuitable for structural use because they are chemically reactive or have low melting points." ... 

The anodes are generally not of pure metals but of alloys. Certain alloying elements serve to give a fine-grained structure, leading to a relatively uniform metal loss from the surface. Others serve to reduce the self-corrosion and raise the current yield. Finally, alloying elements can prevent or reduce the tendency to surface film formation or passivation. Such activating additions are necessary with aluminum. 

Silicon s atomic structure makes it an extremely important semiconductor. Highly purified silicon, doped with such elements as boron, phosphorus, and arsenic, is the basic material used in computer chips, transistors, sUicon diodes, and various other electronic circuits and electrical-current switching devices. Silicon of lesser purity is used in metallurgy as a reducing agent and as an alloying element in steel, brass, and bronze. 

According to their effects on Ti alloying, elements may be subdivided in the following categories which represent an example not only of a structural, but also of an application-oriented classification ... 

The simple cubic structme, sometimes called the rock salt structure because it is the structme of rock salt (NaCl), is not a close-packed structure (see Figure 1.20). In fact, it contains about 48% void space and as a result, it is not a very dense structure. The large space in the center of the SC structme is called an interstitial site, which is a vacant position between atoms that can be occupied by a small impurity atom or alloying element. In this case, the interstitial site is surrounded by eight atoms. All eight atoms in SC me equivalent and me located at the intersection of eight adjacent unit cells, so that there me 8 x (1/8) = 1 total atoms in the SC unit cell. Notice that... 

Other factors snch as cold deformation and processing conditions can affect resistivity. The cold deformation effect is not as pronounced as the addition of impurity or alloying elements, but the effect of processing on resistivity can be large, as illustrated in Figure 6.5 for a CU3AU compound. The effect on resistivity is again related to strnctnre. The rapidly quenched componnd maintains its disordered structure, which... 

This class of steels has an austenitic-ferritic crystal structure, with at least 25 or 30% of the lesser phase with a balance of austenite and ferrite stabilizing alloying elements to... 

Very pure single crystals have defects that can effect corrosion, but impurities and alloying elements, grain boundaries, second phases, and inclusions often have serious effects. Welded structures invariably corrode first at the welds because of metallurgical heterogeneities that exist in and near welds. The most susceptible site or defect in a metal will be the first to be attacked on exposure to a corrosive environment. Sometimes such attack simply results in innocuous removal of the susceptible material, leaving a surface with improved corrosion resistance. (Frankel)5... 

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