Application of an analytical phase transformation model
(State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing,Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China)
Abstract: Employing isothermal and isochronal differential scanning calorimetry, an analytical phase transformation model was used to study the kinetics of crystallization of amorphous Mg82.3Cu17.7 and Pd40Cu30P20Ni10 alloys. The analytical model comprised different combinations of various nucleation and growth mechanisms for a single transformation. Applying different combinations of nucleation and growth mechanisms, the nucleation and growth modes and the corresponding kinetic and thermodynamic parameters, have been determined. The influence of isothermal pre-annealing on subsequent isochronal crystallization kinetics with the increase of pre-annealing can be analyzed. The results show that the changes of the growth exponent, n, and the effective overall activation energy Q, occurring as function of the degree of transformation, do not necessarily imply a change of nucleation and growth mechanisms, i.e. such changes can occur while the transformation is isokinetic.
Key words: Pd40Cu30P20Ni10; Mg82.3Cu17.7; metallic glass; phase transformation; heat treatment; crystal growth; calorimetry