Phase Diagrams: The Beginning of Wisdom

Abstract

Abstract This work presents a primer on “How to Read and Apply Phase Diagrams” in the current environment of powerful thermodynamic software packages. Advanced aspects in that context are also covered. It is a brief guide into using this cornerstone of knowledge in materials science and engineering and offers assistance in the proper interpretation of results obtained from state-of-the-art Calphad-type thermodynamic calculations. Starting from the very basics it explains the reading of unary, binary and ternary phase diagrams, including liquidus projections, isothermal and vertical phase diagram sections. Application examples are directly derived from these phase diagrams of Fe, Cu-Ni, Mg-Al, and Mg-Al-Zn. The use of stable and metastable phase diagrams and appropriate choices of state variables are explained for the relevant Fe-C and Fe-C-Si systems. The most useful concept of zero-phase fraction lines in phase diagram sections of multicomponent systems is made clear by coming back to the Cu-Ni and Mg-Al-Zn systems. Thermodynamic solidification simulation using the Scheil approximation in comparison to the equilibrium case is covered in context of multicomponent multiphase solidification and exemplified for Mg-Al-Zn alloys. The generic approach is directly applicable for all inorganic materials, but exemplified in this concise work for a small selection of metallic systems to highlight the interdependences among the phase diagrams. The embedded application examples for real material systems and various materials processes also emphasize the use of phase diagrams for the path from initial off-equilibrium state towards equilibrium.