Phase Equilibria in Ceramic and Refractory Systems

Phase equilibria in ceramic and refractory systems can be studied with the help of phase diagrams. Phase diagrams are based on Gibb s phase rule, which can be mathematically represented by the following equation  

P represents the number of phases present at equilibrium at the point in a phase where the system is considered. F is the degree of freedom, representing the number of variables to be changed in order to change the state of the system. C is the number of components of the system. The number 2 stands for the environmental variables, pressure, and temperature. 

Depending on the number of components, the phase diagrams can be classified into unary, binary, and ternary, when the number of components is one, two, and three, respectively. 

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