Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

LAB No. 4 Phase Diagrams Worksheet

Section A. Introduction
1. What is the purpose of this lab experiment? What solid solution systems are you analyzing?

The purpose of this lab is to analyze how the percent composition of solutes and solvents affects the
physical properties of two binary systems: the Bi-Sn and the Cu-Ni solid solution systems.

Section B. Theory
1. What is a phase?

A phase is a homogeneous portion of a material system (i.e., the binary Cu-Ni alloy system or the
water-NaCl system) characterized by uniform physical and chemical characteristics that are distinct from
those of other phases.

2. What is a phase diagram, and what are the two ways they can be created?

A phase diagram is a graph that displays the stable phase regions of a particular system under
equilibrium conditions at a given temperature and pressure. Phase diagrams can either be created
experimentally, by collecting data from a system as temperature, pressure, or component composition
change, or theoretically, which calls upon thermodynamic theory to predict what conditions might cause
phase transitions.
Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

3. Define the invariant points in the bismuth and tin phase diagram.

There is one eutectic invariant point in the bismuth and tin phase diagram (marked with a red dot), and
there is another peritectic invariant point (marked with a blue dot). At these 2 points, the system has zero
degrees of freedom (which can be calculated with F = C − P + N ).

4. Explain why the Bi-Sn system has limited solubility and the Cu-Ni system has unlimited solid solubility.

According to the Hume-Rothery Rules, if the percent difference between the atomic radii of the two
elements forming the solid solution is too great, then the system will not have unlimited solid solubility.
The difference in atomic radii between copper and nickel atoms falls under this threshold, and so the
Cu-Ni system has unlimited solid solubility (isomorphous). However, the percent difference in atomic
radii between bismuth and tin atoms is large enough that the Bi-Sn system only has limited solid
solubility (eutectic).
Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

5. What is solid solution strengthening, and how will it affect the hardness of samples of Cu-Ni with
various compositions?

Solid solution strengthening involves adding atoms of one element to the crystalline lattice of another
element as either substitutional or interstitial impurities in order to improve the resulting system’s
strength. Thus, the hardness of Cu-Ni compounds will be greater than that of either pure copper or nickel
because the substitutional impurities impede dislocation motion.

Section C. Experiment
1. List the steps carried out during the lab experiment.
a. Select four samples of bismuth-tin mixture and record their respective masses.
b. Heat the oven to 400°C and place the samples inside. Leave them for roughly 15 minutes so that
they melt while step C is completed.
c. While the bismuth-tin mixtures are melting, take Rockwell hardness measurements for Cu-Ni
alloys of varying compositions that were either annealed or left unannealed.
d. Use tongs to remove the samples from the oven and onto the measurement apparatus. Lower the
thermocouples on the apparatus so that they sit completely in the center of the melted Bi-Sn
samples, and then hit start on the program to record the cooling curve.
*Remember to wear PPE (goggles and gloves) when handling the melted samples!
Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

Section D. Results
1. Insert the plot for cooling curve for Sample 1. Note original mass weight-percent given.

37 wt% Sn, 63 wt% Bi

2. Insert the plot for cooling curve for Sample 2. Note original mass weight-percent given.

78 wt% Sn, 22 wt% Bi

Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

3. Insert the plot for cooling curve for Sample 3. Note original mass weight-percent given.

71 wt% Sn, 29 wt% Bi

4. Insert the plot for cooling curve for Sample 4. Note original mass weight-percent given.

16 wt% Sn, 84 wt% Bi

Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

5. Complete the following table with the Cu-Ni solid solution hardness values (KHN).
0% Copper, 100% Nickel – Rolled 209.05 HK
20% Copper, 80% Nickel – Rolled 218.61 HK
40% Copper, 60% Nickel – Rolled 153.8 HK
60% Copper, 40% Nickel – Rolled 186.49 HK
80% Copper, 20% Nickel – Rolled 180.94 HK
100% Copper, 0% Nickel – Rolled 128.24 HK
40% Copper, 60% Nickel – Annealed 160.17 HK
60% Copper, 40% Nickel – Annealed 164.77 HK

Section E. Analysis/Discussion
1. Identify the temperature(s) at which Sample 1 changes phase. Use the original weight-percent to
identify if the sample is hypoeutectic or hypereutectic. Identify the corresponding composition of Bi
and Sn from the phase diagram.

1st Phase Change Temperature: 144.5°C

2nd Phase Change Temperature: 135.1°C
63% > 57%: Hypereutectic (Bismuth)
Composition based on cooling curve: 60 wt% Bi , 40 wt% Sn

2. Identify the temperature(s) at which Sample 2 changes phase. Use the original weight-percent to
identify if the sample is hypoeutectic or hypereutectic. Identify the corresponding composition of Bi
and Sn from the phase diagram.

1st Phase Change Temperature: 135°C

2nd Phase Change Temperature: None
22% < 57%: Hypoeutectic (Bismuth)
Composition based on cooling curve: 57 wt% Bi, 43 wt% Sn
Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

3. Identify the temperature(s) at which Sample 3 changes phase. Use the original weight-percent to
identify if the sample is hypoeutectic or hypereutectic. Identify the corresponding composition of Bi
and Sn from the phase diagram.

1st Phase Change Temperature: 150°C

2nd Phase Change Temperature: 133.6°C
29% < 57%: Hypoeutectic (Bismuth)
Composition based on cooling curve: 52 wt% Bi, 48 wt% Sn

4. Identify the temperature(s) at which Sample 4 changes phase. Use the original weight percent to
identify if the sample is hypoeutectic or hypereutectic. Identify the corresponding composition of Bi
and Sn from the phase diagram.

1st Phase Change Temperature: 163.6°C

2nd Phase Change Temperature: 132.8°C
84% > 57%: Hypereutective (Bismuth)
Composition based on cooling curve: 65 wt% Bi, 35 wt% Sn

5. How much does the weight-percent value found from the phase diagram differ from the original
weight-percent value before they were melted? Why might the weight-percent value from massing the
samples differ from the phase diagram value?

The weight percentages derived from the samples’ cooling curves after they were melted differed quite a
bit from the original weight-percent values calculated from the masses of each element (which were
written on the labels). Sample 1 was the only sample in which the weight percentage from the phase
diagram was relatively close to the value calculated from the masses. The rest of the samples were off by
20–30 wt%.
We suspect that given how long the samples had been in use, impurities from the environment had
heavily contaminated almost all of the samples. However, we also cannot rule out the possibility that
there could have been mix-ups in placing the samples back in their corresponding bags after so many
uses. For instance, the cooling curve for sample 2 clearly shows a single phase transition section, which
definitely implies a eutectic composition, even though the number on the bag implies something
completely different.
Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

6. Plot the hardness of the Cu-Ni samples as a function of percentage of Cu. Place the rolled and annealed
samples in two different data series. What is the ideal ratio of Cu to Ni from these measurements?
Compare the rolled to annealed hardness data. Why are they different?

From these measurements, it appears that a Cu-Ni alloy that is 20% copper exhibits the greatest
hardness, although outside sources suggest that 40% copper should be the ideal composition for strength.
We believe that a source of error skewed the data point for 40% copper composition because it dips
when it should peak.
However, we also noticed that the annealed sample of Cu-Ni was less hard than the untreated sample of
the same composition. This is due to how annealing reduces dislocation density and creates larger grains.
Because dislocations lock up the material and resist further deformation, reducing their density means
the material will deform easier and thus be less hard.

7. Explain why the relationship between the Cu percentage and hardness is non-linear using your
knowledge of solid solution strengthening.

In solid solution strengthening, introducing one element or the other as a substitutional impurity will
create stresses within the crystal lattice that resist deformation. However, how these substitutional
impurities occur probably depends on the physical properties of the elements, such as the freezing point.
In the absence of equilibrium cooling, as the alloy solidifies, atoms of the element with the higher
freezing point will lock into place, while the other atoms are still free to move. Thus, the local
concentration of these atoms will be greater wherever the solid solution cooled faster (at a surface
Name ​Kenny Chu and Alexander Sun​ Lab Section ​Thursday AM​ Date ​2018 April 13

exposed to cooler air as opposed to in the middle of the solid solution). Thus, the local properties of this
part of the material will be different from other parts because the local composition is different.

8. How many grams of Ni must be added to 500g of Cu to produce an alloy that has a liquidus
temperature of 1350°C? What is the ratio of the number of Ni atoms to Cu atoms in this alloy?

Need total composition to be 40% Cu, 60% Ni:

500g Cu
0.4
= ​1250​g​ total
(1250−500) = 750 g Ni added

750 × N A
# of Ni atoms: 58.69 = 7.69 × 1024
500 × N A
# of Cu atoms: 63.5 = 4.74 × 1024
Ni
Ratio of atoms: Cu
= 1.62