MS 2020 Physical Metallurgy: Homework 3 (Phase Transformations)
1. (a) By drawing schematic diagrams, show the variation of chemical and interface energy contributions
for product phase clusters forming homogeneously inside a parent phase below the transformation
temperature.
(b) Determine the radius of the critical sized embryo for homogeneous nucleation. Use it to derive an
expression for the critical free energy barrier for the transformation.
(c) Assuming that the enthalpy and entropy of transformation do not vary to a great extent with
temperature near the transformation temperature, derive an expression for the variation of the free
energy barrier for homogeneous nucleation with temperature (for small ∆T ).
(d) Combine the answer to the previous part with the expression for the number of critical nuclei to
obtain the temperature dependence of homogeneous nucleation rate.
(e) Consider a spherical nucleus of β phase at the parent α phase grain boundary. What are the
contributions from interfacial energies (both GB energy and α/β interface energy) and the chemical
bulk free energy difference between β and α, as a function of the size the precipitate? From
this, obtain a relation for the critical nucleus size. Compare this with the critical nucleus size for
homogeneous nucleation and highlight the difference(s) and their implication for nucleation rate, if
any.
(f) How would the effectiveness of heterogeneous nucleation relative to that of homogeneous nucleation
change with temperature?
(g) Does the growth of a second phase display the typical functional dependence as encountered in
diffusion problems? If yes, how exactly? If not, why?
(h) How does overlap of diffusion fields of precipiates affect their growth rates?
(i) What are the two competing factors that determine the variation of growth rate with temperature?
(j) Usually, the temperature at which appreciable transformation is observed, say, while cooling a vapor
to form liquid droplets (condensation) is different from that while heating the liquid to form vapor
(boiling). (According to bulk thermodynamics, both should be the same.) Explain the origin of
this asymmetry considering the energetics of the real processes.
(k) The fundamental reason for the observed asymmetry in transformation temperatures in the previous
case is not applicable for the case of precipitation and its reverse process, dissolution of precipitates.
Explain this using energetics. (Hint: consider the total energies at two stages of dissolution: 1. A
large precipitate with radius R in the matrix, and 2. A small precipitate at a later stage with radius
r, R > r.)
(l) What are the factors that determine the overall kinetics of diffusional phase transformations? Which
equation combines them together? Which parameters of the equation they are expressed through?
(m) Why do the TTT curves have a nose or a typical C-like bend? To use these curves in predicting
the phases formed in a heat treatment, which experimental plot/data needs to be superimposed on
a TTT curve?
