SOLIDIFICATION
Cooling curves, concept of nucleation and growth
                 Dr Pradeep Kumar Jha
                     MIED, IIT ROORKEE
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                  COOLING CURVES
• Cooling curve is a line graph that represents the change
  of phase of matter ( for metals, typically from liquid to
  solid)
• In pure metals and alloys with eutectic composition,
  solidification occurs at a constant temperature
• In case of alloys, temperature does not remain constant
  during solidification.
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             NUCLEATION AND GROWTH
• During phase transformation, free energy change
  determines the rate of transformation.
• At equilibrium melting point, free energy of solid as well
  as liquid phase are equal.
• For transformation to be possible and to proceed
  simultaneously, free energy change must be negative.
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• Once condition of spontaneous occurrence of phase
  transformation is satisfied, formation of crystalline
  configuration among few atoms of liquid starts.
• Further, more and more atoms leave the liquid and join
  the crystalline configuration.
• Transformation from liquid to solid state is a step to step
  process and can be divided into two steps, occurring
  one after the other: formation of tiny stable particles of
  solid phase (nucleation)and increase in size of these
  particles (growth).
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THANKS