Institute of Metals Division - Diffusion in the Fe-Ni System at 1 Atm and 40 Kbar Pressure

The interdiffusion coefficients for the Fe-Ni system were determined as a function of composition in both the a and y phases at 1 atm pressure. The inter diffusion coefficients were also determined in the y phase at 40 kbar pressure. The concentration gradients were measured with an electron probe, and the diffusion coefficients were calculated by the Matano analysis. At 1 atm, Ey increases with nickel content up to 65 at. pct Ni. The relationship of Dy with temperature and nickel concentration, up to 50 at. pct Ni, is given by the equation DY-l atm = exp(.0519 CN~ +1.15) MANY of the transformations that occur in the solid state are diffusion-controlled, especially those involving precipitate growth in most metallurgical systems. Multicomponent diffusion is usually expressed in terms of a chemical or an inter diffusion The activation energy Q at 1 atm decreases from pure iron to 60 to 70 at. pct Ni and decreases from pztre nickel to 60 to 70 at. pct Ni. The Kirkendall marker movement indicates that DFe is greater than DNi zcp to about 60 at. pct Ni. Above 60 at. pct Ni, however, DNi becomes peater than DFe The inter diffusion coefficients were also compared with those calculated from self-diffusion data. A comparison between calculated and measured coefficients shows only rough agreement. The effect of 40 kbar pressure is to decrease DyPl atm by an order of magnitude. The activation volumes for high-pressure diffusion are in favorable agreement with theoretical models developed for self-diffusion. coefficient which determines the rate at which material is transferred from the matrix phase to the precipitate and hence determines the growth rate of the precipitate. Since the numerical values of the diffusion coefficients differ widely as a function of the metallic system, temperature, and pressure, the diffusion coefficients must be determined for each particular environmental condition. Of long-standing interest is the growth of the classic Widmanstatten pattern in metallic (Fe-Ni) meteorites. The growth rate of the pattern is controlled by the diffusion coefficients in the Fe-Ni system. Since these coefficients are essential to calculating the growth rate of the pattern, we found it necessary to determine the diffusion coefficients