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Chapter 5 PDF

This chapter discusses diffusion, which is the transport of atoms through solids, liquids, or gases. Diffusion occurs when atoms move from areas of higher concentration to lower concentration. There are two types of diffusion: interdiffusion, which is the diffusion of atoms of one element into another element, and self-diffusion, which is the diffusion of atoms within the same element. Diffusion rate increases with temperature and can be described using Fick's laws of diffusion. The chapter provides examples of steady-state and non-steady state diffusion and discusses factors that influence diffusion rates such as temperature, diffusing species, and microstructure of the material.

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Luna Hasani
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114 views

Chapter 5 PDF

This chapter discusses diffusion, which is the transport of atoms through solids, liquids, or gases. Diffusion occurs when atoms move from areas of higher concentration to lower concentration. There are two types of diffusion: interdiffusion, which is the diffusion of atoms of one element into another element, and self-diffusion, which is the diffusion of atoms within the same element. Diffusion rate increases with temperature and can be described using Fick's laws of diffusion. The chapter provides examples of steady-state and non-steady state diffusion and discusses factors that influence diffusion rates such as temperature, diffusing species, and microstructure of the material.

Uploaded by

Luna Hasani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

CHAPTER 5
LUNA HASANI
DIFFUSION
DIFFUSION

 Treatment of materials relies on the transfer of mass within the solid,


liquid or gaseous phases.
 This transport by atomic motion is known as diffusion.
 Diffusion is demonstrated by the Copper-Nickel diffusion couple. The
couple is heated for the needed period of time at high temperatures
kept below the melting point and then cooled to room temperature.
 Heat treatment is done in order to improve the material properties.
DIFFUSION

Copper-Nickel couple before heat treatment. Copper-Nickel couple after heat treatment.
DIFFUSION

 After high-temperature heat treatment, copper and nickel are found at


the extremities, with an alloyed region in between.
 Concentrations of copper and nickel vary with their position.
 The process where atoms of one metal diffuse into another is known as
interdiffusion, or impurity diffusion.
 When diffusion takes place in pure metals, where atoms exchange
positions, the process is known as self-diffusion.
DIFFUSION MECHANICS

 Diffusion is the movement of atoms from one lattice site to another.


 The movement is allowed under two conditions:
1. There must be an empty adjacent site.
2. The atom must have enough energy to break bonds with adjacent atoms
and cause lattice distortions during migration.
 The energy required by the atoms is vibrational. The fraction of atoms
capable of diffusive motion increases with temperature.
DIFFUSION MECHANICS

 There are two models of metal diffusion:


1. Vacancy diffusion:
- The atom moves from a lattice position to an
adjacent lattice vacancy.
- The degree of vacancy diffusion that can occur
depends on the number of vacancies present,
which in turn depends on temperature.
- Interdiffusion and self-diffusion occur by this
mechanism.
DIFFUSION MECHANICS

2. Interstitial diffusion:
- Atoms move from an interstitial position to an
empty neighboring interstitial position.
- Interdiffusion of impurities small enough to fit into
interstitial positions occur by this mechanism. Such
impurities are oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and
carbon.
- Interstitial diffusion happens much more rapidly
than vacancy diffusion, since interstitial atoms are
smaller and more mobile.
STEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 The transportation of atoms is a function of time.


 Diffusion flux 𝐽 expresses the rate of mass transfer; how fast diffusion
occurs.
 Diffusion flux 𝐽 is the amount of mass diffusing through a unit cross-
𝑘𝑔 𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑚
sectional area per unit of time. Unit is − 𝑠 or − 𝑠.
𝑚2 𝑚2
 Steady state diffusion takes place when diffusion flux does not change
with time.
STEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 An example of steady-state diffusion is when atoms of a gas


are diffused through a plate of metal.
 The plot of concentration vs
position is known as a
concentration profile.
 The slope of the plot is known as
the concentration gradient,
which is proportional to the
diffusion flux.
STEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 “One practical example of steady-state


diffusion is found in the purification of
Diffusion Coefficient hydrogen gas. One side of a thin sheet of
palladium metal is exposed to the impure gas
composed of hydrogen and other gaseous
Fick’s first law
species such as nitrogen, oxygen, and water
vapor. The hydrogen selectively diffuses
through the sheet to the opposite side, which
is maintained at a constant and lower
Direction of diffusion hydrogen pressure.”
from high to low
concentration
STEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 Example:
A plate of iron is exposed to a carburizing (carbon-rich) atmosphere on one side and
a decarburizing (carbon-deficient) atmosphere on the other side at 700 ℃. If a
condition of steady state is achieved, calculate the diffusion flux of carbon through
the plate if the concentrations of carbon at positions of 5 and 10 mm beneath the
carburizing surface are 1.2 and 0.8 kg/m3, respectively. Assume a diffusion coefficient
of 3 × 10−11 𝑚2 /s at this temperature.
NONSTEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 In this case, the diffusion flux and concentration gradient vary with time.
 Most diffusion cases are nonsteady-state ones.
 In nonsteady-state cases, Fick’s second law is used.

Solution
NONSTEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

Concentration at
Concentration at
time zero
depth 𝑥 at time 𝑡

Concentration at Found using table


the surface
NONSTEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

𝑥
 erf is a Gaussian error function, the solution of which can be found using the
2 𝐷𝑡
table.

𝑥
𝑧=
2 𝐷𝑡
NONSTEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 When a specific concentration is to be achieved, the left-hand side of the equation is


constant, since 𝐶𝑜 and 𝐶𝑠 are constant.

 The right-hand side of the equation is also constant:


NONSTEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 Example: For some applications, it is necessary to harden the surface of a steel (or
ironcarbon alloy) above that of its interior. One way this may be accomplished is by
increasing the surface concentration of carbon in a process termed carburizing; the
steel piece is exposed, at an elevated temperature, to an atmosphere rich in a
hydrocarbon gas, such as methane.
Consider one such alloy that initially has a uniform carbon concentration of 0.25 wt%
and is to be treated at 950 C (1750 F). If the concentration of carbon at the surface
is suddenly brought to and maintained at 1.20 wt%, how long will it take to achieve a
carbon content of 0.80 wt% at a position 0.5 mm below the surface? The diffusion
coefficient for carbon in iron at this temperature is 1.6 × 10−11 𝑚2 /𝑠.
NONSTEADY-STATE DIFFUSION

 Example: The diffusion coefficients for copper in aluminum at 500 and 600 °C are
4.8 × 10−14 and 5.3 × 10−13 𝑚2 /𝑠, respectively. Determine the approximate time at
500 C that will produce the same diffusion result (in terms of concentration of Cu at
some specific point in Al) as a 10-h heat treatment at 600°C.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION

1. Diffusing species: Diffusion coefficient depends on the species of diffusion


(interdiffusion, self-diffusion, interstitial, vacancy).
2. Temperature: diffusion rate increases with the increase in temperature. The
relationship between diffusion rate and temperature is:

𝑄𝑑
Temperature-  𝑄𝑑 is activation energy required to produce diffusion − is the slope
2.3𝑅
independent  𝑅 is the gas constant, 8.31 𝐽/𝑚𝑜𝑙 − 𝑘 or 8.62 ×
𝑒𝑉
diffusion 10−5 𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑚 − 𝑘
coefficient  𝑇 is temperature in K
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION

 Example: Using the data in the previous table, compute the diffusion coefficient for
magnesium in aluminum at 550 C.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION

 Example: In the figure is shown a plot of the logarithm (to the base 10) of the
diffusion coefficient versus reciprocal of absolute temperature, for the diffusion of
copper in gold. Determine values for the activation energy and the preexponential.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION

 The wear resistance of a steel gear is to be improved by hardening its surface. This is to be
accomplished by increasing the carbon content within an outer surface layer as a result of carbon
diffusion into the steel; the carbon is to be supplied from an external carbon-rich gaseous atmosphere
at an elevated and constant temperature. The initial carbon content of the steel is 0.20 wt%, whereas
the surface concentration is to be maintained at 1.00 wt%. For this treatment to be effective, a carbon
content of 0.60 wt% must be established at a position 0.75 mm below the surface. Specify an
appropriate heat treatment in terms of temperature and time for temperatures between 900 C and
1050 C.

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