Chapter5:PracticeProblemsSolutions

5.3(a)Compareinterstitialandvacancyatomicmechanismsfordiffusion.

(b)Citetworeasonswhyinterstitialdiffusionisnormallymorerapidthanvacancydiffusion.

(a)Withvacancydiffusion,atomicmotionisfromonelatticesitetoanadjacentvacancy.Selfdiffusion

andthediffusionofsubstitutionalimpuritiesproceedviathismechanism.Ontheotherhand,atomicmotionis
frominterstitialsitetoadjacentinterstitialsitefortheinterstitialdiffusionmechanism.

(b) Interstitial diffusion is normally more rapid than vacancy diffusion because: (1) interstitial atoms,

beingsmaller,aremoremobile;and(2)theprobabilityofanemptyadjacentinterstitialsiteisgreaterthanfora
vacancyadjacenttoahost(orsubstitutionalimpurity)atom.

5.5(a)Brieflyexplaintheconceptofadrivingforce.

(b)Whatisthedrivingforceforsteadystatediffusion?

(a)Thedrivingforceisthatwhichcompelsareactiontooccur.

(b)Thedrivingforceforsteadystatediffusionistheconcentrationgradient.

5.6ThepurificationofhydrogengasbydiffusionthroughapalladiumsheetwasdiscussedinSection5.3.Compute
thenumberofkilogramsofhydrogenthatpassperhourthrougha5mmthicksheetofpalladiumhavinganarea
of0.20m2at500C.Assumeadiffusioncoefficientof1.0108m2/s,thattheconcentrationsatthehighandlow
pressure sides of the plate are 2.4 and 0.6 kg of hydrogen per cubic meter of palladium, and that steadystate
conditionshavebeenattained.

Thisproblemcallsforthemassofhydrogen,perhour,thatdiffusesthroughaPdsheet.Itfirstbecomes

necessarytoemploybothEquations5.1aand5.3.Combiningtheseexpressionsandsolvingforthemassyields

M = JAt = DAt
x

0.6 2.4 kg / m3
= (1.0 10 -8 m2 /s)(0.20 m2 ) (3600 s/h)

5 103 m

=2.6103kg/h

5.8AsheetofBCCiron1mmthickwasexposedtoacarburizinggasatmosphereononesideandadecarburizing
atmosphereon theother side at 725C. After having reached steadystate, the iron wasquickly cooled to room
temperature.Thecarbonconcentrationsatthetwosurfacesofthesheetweredeterminedtobe0.012and0.0075
wt%.Computethediffusioncoefficientifthediffusionfluxis1.4 108kg/m2s.Hint:UseEquation4.9toconvert
theconcentrationsfromweightpercenttokilogramsofcarbonpercubicmeterofiron.

Letusfirstconvertthecarbonconcentrationsfromweightpercenttokilogramscarbonpermetercubed

usingEquation4.9a.For0.012wt%C

CC" =

CC
CC
C

C Fe

10 3

Fe

0.012
10 3
99.988
0.012
+
7.87 g/cm3
2.25 g/cm3

0.944kgC/m3

Similarly,for0.0075wt%C

CC" =

0.0075
10 3
99.9925
0.0075
+
7.87 g/cm3
2.25 g/cm3

=0.590kgC/m3

Now,usingarearrangedformofEquation5.3

x x
B
D = J A
CA C B

103 m
= (1.40 10 -8 kg/m 2 - s)

0.944 kg/m 3 0.590 kg/m 3

=3.951011m2/s


5.11Determinethecarburizingtimenecessarytoachieveacarbonconcentrationof0.45wt%ataposition2mm
intoanironcarbonalloythatinitiallycontains0.20wt%C.Thesurfaceconcentrationistobemaintainedat1.30
wt%C,andthetreatmentistobeconductedat1000C.Usethediffusiondatafor FeinTable5.2.

InordertosolvethisproblemitisfirstnecessarytouseEquation5.5:

C x C0
x
= 1 erf

2 Dt
Cs C0

wherein,Cx=0.45,C0=0.20,Cs=1.30,andx=2mm=2103m.Thus,

x
Cx C0
0.45 0.20
=
= 0.2273 = 1 erf

2 Dt
1.30 0.20
Cs C0

or

x
erf
= 1 0.2273 = 0.7727
2 Dt

BylinearinterpolationusingdatafromTable5.1

erf(z)

0.85

0.7707

0.7727

0.90

0.7970

0.7727 0.7707
z 0.850
=

0.900 0.850 0.7970 0.7707

Fromwhich
z = 0.854 =

Now,fromTable5.2,at1000 C(1273K)

2 Dt

148, 000 J/mol

D = (2.3 10 -5 m 2 /s) exp

(8.31 J/mol- K)(1273 K)

=1.931011m2/s
Thus,

0.854 =

2 103 m
(2) (1.93 1011 m2 /s) (t)

Solvingfortyields

t=7.1104s=19.7h

5.13Nitrogenfromagaseousphaseistobediffusedintopureironat700C.Ifthesurfaceconcentration

is maintained at 0.1 wt% N, what will be the concentration 1 mm from the surface after 10 h? The diffusion
coefficientfornitrogeninironat700Cis2.51011m2/s.

This problem asks us to compute the nitrogen concentration (Cx) at the 1 mm position after a 10 h

diffusiontime,whendiffusionisnonsteadystate.FromEquation5.5

x
C x C0
Cx 0
=
= 1 erf

2 Dt
Cs C0
0.1 0

= 1 erf
(2)

m 2 /s) (10 h)(3600 s / h)

103 m

(2.5 1011

=1erf(0.527)

UsingdatainTable5.1andlinearinterpolation

erf(z)

0.500

0.5205

0.527

0.550

0.5633

y 0.5205
0.527 0.500
=

0.550 0.500
0.5633 0.5205

fromwhich
y=erf(0.527)=0.5436

Thus,

Cx 0
= 1.0 0.5436
0.1 0

Thisexpressiongives

Cx=0.046wt%N

Note:thisproblemmayalsobesolvedusingtheDiffusionmoduleintheVMSEsoftware.OpentheDiffusion
module,clickontheDiffusionDesignsubmodule,andthendothefollowing:

1.Enterthegivendatainlefthandwindowthatappears.InthewindowbelowthelabelDValueenter

thevalueofthediffusioncoefficientviz.2.5e11.

2.InthewindowjustbelowthelabelInitial,C0entertheinitialconcentrationviz.0.

3.InthewindowtheliesbelowSurface,Csenterthesurfaceconcentrationviz.0.1.

4. Then in the Diffusion Time t window enter the time in seconds; in 10 h there are (60 s/min)(60

min/h)(10h)=36,000ssoenterthevalue3.6e4.

5.Next,atthebottomofthiswindowclickonthebuttonlabeledAddcurve.

6. On the right portion of the screen will appear a concentration profile for this particular diffusion

situation. A diamondshaped cursor will appear at the upper lefthand corner of the resulting curve. Click and
dragthiscursordownthecurvetothepointatwhichthenumberbelowDistance:reads1.00mm.Thenread
thevalueundertheConcentration:.Forthisproblem,thisvalue(thesolutiontotheproblem)is0.05wt%.

5.20 The activation energy for the diffusion of carbon in chromium is 111,000 J/mol. Calculate the

diffusioncoefficientat1100K(827C),giventhatDat1400K(1127C)is6.251011m2/s.

TosolvethisproblemitfirstbecomesnecessarytosolveforD0fromEquation5.8as
Q
D0 = D exp d
RT

111,000 J / mol
= (6.25 10 -11 m2 /s) exp

(8.31 J/mol- K)(1400 K)

=8.7107m2/s

Now,solvingforDat1100K(againusingEquation5.8)gives

111, 000 J/mol

D = (8.7 10 -7 m2 /s) exp

(8.31 J/mol - K)(1100 K)

=4.61012m2/s

5.21Thediffusioncoefficientsforironinnickelaregivenattwotemperatures:

T(K)

D(m2/s)

1273

9.41016

1473

2.41014

(a)DeterminethevaluesofD0andtheactivationenergyQd.

(b)WhatisthemagnitudeofDat1100C(1373K)?

(a)UsingEquation5.9a,wesetuptwosimultaneousequationswithQdandD0asunknownsasfollows:

ln D1 = lnD0

ln D2 = lnD0

Qd 1

R T1
Qd 1

R T2

Now,solvingforQdintermsoftemperaturesT1andT2(1273 Kand1473 K)andD1andD2(9.41016and2.4

1014m2/s),weget

Qd = R

= (8.31 J/mol - K)

ln D1 ln D2

1
1

T1 T2

ln (9.4 10 -16) ln (2.4 10 -14 )

1
1

1273 K
1473 K

=252,400J/mol

Now,solvingforD0fromEquation5.8(andusingthe1273KvalueofD)

Q
D0 = D1 exp d
RT1

252,400 J/mol
= (9.4 10 -16 m2 /s) exp

(8.31 J/mol - K)(1273 K)

=2.2105m2/s

(b)UsingthesevaluesofD0andQd,Dat1373 Kisjust

D = (2.2 10 -5

252, 400 J/mol

m2 /s) exp

(8.31 J/mol - K)(1373 K)

=5.41015m2/s

Note:thisproblemmayalsobesolvedusingtheDiffusionmoduleintheVMSEsoftware.OpentheDiffusion
module,clickontheD0andQdfromExperimentalDatasubmodule,andthendothefollowing:

1. In the lefthand window that appears, enter the two temperatures from the table in the book (viz.

1273 and 1473, in the first two boxes under the column labeled T (K). Next, enter the corresponding
diffusioncoefficientvalues(viz.9.4e16and2.4e14).

3.Next,atthebottomofthiswindow,clickthePlotdatabutton.

4. A logD versus 1/T plot then appears,with a line for the temperature dependence for this diffusion

system.AtthetopofthiswindowaregivevaluesforD0andQd;forthisspecificproblemthesevaluesare2.17
105m2/sand252kJ/mol,respectively

5.Tosolvethe(b)partoftheproblemweutilizethediamondshapedcursorthatislocatedatthetopof

the line on this plot. Clickanddrag this cursor down the line to the point at which the entry under the
Temperature(T):labelreads1373.Thevalueofthediffusioncoefficientatthistemperatureisgivenunderthe
labelDiffCoeff(D):.Forourproblem,thisvalueis5.41015m2/s.