tafila technical university

Faculty engineering

Exp. Name: Cooling Curves. # (6)

Name: Mohammad Nashat Abu-Sabbah.

Lecturer name: Eng. Mohannad Tamimi.

Date of doing this exp.: 15/12/2014.

1. Objectives :
This experiments aims to have full understanding about phase diagram and to illustrate the
use of cooling curves to establish the phase diagram for a binary system.

2. Introduction
2.1.

Phase Diagram

A phase can be defined as a homogeneous portion of a system that has uniform physical
and chemical characteristics; i.e. it is a physically distinct from other phases, chemically
homogeneous and mechanically separable portion of a system.
A component can exist in many phases. "e.g.: Water exists as ice, liquid water, and water
vapor and carbon can exist as graphite or diamond".
A solution (liquid or solid) is phase with more than one component; whereas a mixture is a
material with more than one phase.
Almost all materials have more than one phase in them. Thus engineering materials attain
their special properties, macroscopic basic unit of a material is called component. It refers to
an independent chemical species, and it may be elements, ions or compounds.
We can define phase diagram as a diagram that depicts existence of different phases of a
system under equilibrium; it is actually a collection of solubility limit curves, usually
equilibrium phase diagrams represent the relationships between temperature, compositions
and the quantities of phases at equilibrium.
These diagrams do not indicate the dynamics when one phase transforms into another, phase
diagrams are classified according to the number of component present in a particular system
(unary, binary and eutectic phase diagrams.)

fig.1: A type of phase diagram.

Important information, useful in materials development and selection, could be obtained

from a phase diagram:
- It shows phases present at different compositions and temperatures under equilibrium
conditions.
- It indicates equilibrium solid solubility of one element/compound in another.

- It suggests temperature at which an alloy starts to solidify and the range of solidification.
- It signals the temperature at which different phases start to melt.
- Amount of each phase in a two-phase mixture can be obtained.

2.1.1 Unary Phase Diagram

If a system consists of just one component (e.g.: water), equilibrium of phases exist is
depicted by unary phase diagram. The component may exist in different forms, thus variables
here are temperature and pressure.

Fig.2: Water phase diagram.

2.1.2 Binary Phase Diagram

If a system consists of two components, equilibrium of phases exist is depicted by binary
phase diagram. For most systems, pressure is constant (equal 1 atmospheric pressure), thus
independently variable parameters are temperature and composition.
Two components can be either two metals (Cu and Ni), or a metal and a compound (Fe and
Fe3C), or two compounds (Al2O3 and Si2O3), etc.
Two component systems are classified based on extent of mutual solid solubility (a)
completely soluble in both liquid and solid phases (isomorphous system) and (b) completely
soluble in liquid phase whereas solubility is limited in solid state.
For isomorphous system "e.g.: Cu-Ni, Ag-Au, Ge-Si, and Al2O3-Cr2O3".

Fig.3: Ni-Cu phase diagram.

2.2.

Cooling Curves

A cooling curve is a diagram or graph that provides a pictorial representation of the change
of state or phase of a substance as it cools. It's a plot of temperature vs. time, and it allows an
"overview" of the process.
All substances have a heating and cooling curve. These curves show the three phase changes:
Heating curve: solid to liquid to gas.
Cooling curve: gas to liquid to solid.
Metals and alloys are sometimes characterized using cooling curves. The material is heated
till molten then allowed to cool and a plot of temperature against time is recorded.
For a pure metal the cooling curve displays a distinct plateau region at the melting point
(Tm) indicating that temperature remains constant over a period of time during crystallization.
With few exceptions, the cooling curves for alloys show no such plateau region.
Crystallization begins at temperature T1, and is complete at temperature T2. Hence
crystallization takes place over a range of temperatures.
If a series of cooling curves for alloys of different composition within a given alloy system
are available a phase diagram can be constructed from which many important predictions and
information about melting, casting could be provided and structure development can be
made, it has a lot of types (look fig.4).

Fig.4: Cooling curves: (a) pure compound; (b) binary solid solution; (c) binary eutectic system

States of matter:
P-Q: Gas
Q-R: Gas and Liquid
R-S: Liquid
S-T: Liquid and Solid
T-U: Solid
U-V: Solid

T1 is the condensation point;

T2 is the freezing point
T3 is room temperature.
During Q-R and S-T, the temperature
remains unchanged because the energy
produced during the formation of bonds
is equal to the heat energy released to the
surroundings during cooling.
During Q-R, the heat energy released is
called the latent heat of vaporization.
During S-T, the heat energy released is
called the latent heat of fusion.

Fig.5: A demonstration of cooling curve and the processes involved in it.

The most important part of the cooling curve is the cooling rate which affects the
microstructure and properties.
Cooling curves is used to find phase transition temperature and to draw phase diagram,
determine the liquidus and solidus temperatures.
Cooling curves can be affected by the initial temperature of the cooling substance, often
called the "pouring temperature", the temperature of the environment into which the
substance is poured, and other variables.

3. Results and Discussion

4. References
1. www.scribd.com
2. www.akitarescueoftulsa.com
3. www.chemistry.tutorvista.com
4. www.roesariefbudimanproblems.blogspot.com
5. www.gwent.org