Institute of Metals Division - The Effect of Copper on the Martensitic Transformations in Beta-Phase Au-Cd Alloys

The effect of small copper additions on the mar-tensitic transformation behavior in Au-47.5 at. pct Cd was studied by measuring electrical resistivity as a function of temperature. The transformation behavior was found to change and transformation start (M,) temperatures for both the ß to ß' and ß to ß' transformations were depressed substantially by the addition of small amounts of copper. Both M, temperatures were lowered approximately 70°C per at. pct Cu. Copper also had the effect of narrowing the transformation hysteresis region (resistivity us temperature), and for the alloy Au-47.5 Cd-1.5 Cu there was little or no hysteresis; in this alloy, the reverse transfmmation upon heating apparently occurs below the thermodynamic equilibrium temperature, To. THE ß phase in the Au-Cd system occurs at the electron/atom ratio 3/2, and is similar to other ß phases in alloys based on copper, silver, or gold. It is of the CsCl type, in which a considerable degree of long-range order persists to the melting temperature.' The phase boundaries of the ß phase are not known precisely below 300° C, but at room tem- perature the phase exists from approximately 46 to 52* at. pct Cd.2 At low temperatures, the ß phase transforms in a diffusionless (martensitic) manner. Alloys having a composition near 47.5 pct Cd transform upon slow cooling to an orthorhombic3 phase, ß', at - 60°C. Alloys having a composition near 49.0 pct Cd, transform at - 30°C into a phase, ß", which has been recently identified as trigonal.4 Alloys having compositions near 48.5 pct Cd will transform into both the 0' and 0" phases over a range of temperatures. The progress of transformations can be observed