I nstitute of Materials Science

Chapter 3: Nucleation and Growth

3.1 Homogeneous Nucleation Driving Force

3.2 Nucleation Rate

3.3 Heterogeneous Nucleation

3.4 Nucleation in the Solid State

3.5 Growth Rate

3.6 KJMA Model

3.7 Heat Flow, Interface Stability and Dendritic Growth
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I nstitute of Materials Science
3.1 Homogeneous Nucleation Driving Force
Table 8.1 Major Types of Phase Transformations
Type of Transformation Example
1. Vapor liquid Condensation of moisture
2. Vapor solid Formation of frost on a window
3. Liquid crystal Formation of ice on a lake
4. Crystal 1 crystal 2
(a) Precipitation Formulation of Fe
3
C on cooling austenite
(b) Allotropic -Fe -Fe at 910 C
(c) Recrystallization
Cold-worked Cu new grains at high
temperatures
From J.D. Verhoeven, Fundamentals of Physical Metallurgy, Wiley, 1974
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I nstitute of Materials Science
3.1 Homogeneous Nucleation Driving Force
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Table 8.2 Degree of Complexity Involved in Phase Transformations
(a) Structure change
(b) Structure change + composition change
(c) Structure change + strain formation
(d) Structure change + strain formation + composition change
From J.D. Verhoeven, Fundamentals of Physical Metallurgy, Wiley, 1974
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.1 Homogeneous Nucleation Driving Force
MMAT 305
G
T
AG
V
G
S
G
L
T
m
AT
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.2 Nucleation Rate
MMAT 305
Distribution functions for embryos of different sizes according
to Volmer and Becker-Dring theories of nucleation.
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.2 Nucleation Rate
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.3 Heterogeneous Nucleation
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Wall
S

S L

S W X
Y L
u

WL
Wall
S

S L

S W X
Y L
u

WL
I nstitute of Materials Science MMAT 305
T =0, T=T
m

Heterogenous
I: Nucleation Rate
T
I
N
u
c
l
e
a
t
i
o
n

R
a
t
e

Homogenous
3.3 Heterogeneous Nucleation
I nstitute of Materials Science MMAT 305
Fig. 4.8 The excess free energy of solid clusters for homogeneous and
heterogeneous nucleation. Note r* is independent of the nucleation site.
3.3 Heterogeneous Nucleation
I nstitute of Materials Science MMAT 305
Fig 4.9 (a) Variation of G* with undercooling
(T ) for homogeneous and heterogeneous
nucleation. (b) The corresponding nucleation rates
assuming the same critical value of G*.
3.3 Heterogeneous Nucleation
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.4 Nucleation in the Solid State
MMAT 305
o
o
|
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.4 Nucleation in the Solid State
MMAT 305
R
*
I
T
0
T
0
AT
AT
E
el
E
el
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.4 Nucleation in the Solid State
MMAT 305
Fig. 3.48 For a coherent thin disc there is little misfit parallel
to the plane of the disc. Maximum misfit is perpendicular to
the disc.
Fig. 3.47 The origin of coherency strains.
The number of lattice points in the hole is
conserved.
(a) (b) (c)
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.4 Nucleation in the Solid State
MMAT 305
Fig. 3.51 Coherency strains caused by the coherent broad
faces of precipitates. u'
Fig. 1. Coherent plate and plate with incoherent edge.
(a)
(b)
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.4 Nucleation in the Solid State
MMAT 305
Fig. 3.50 The variation of misfit strain energy with ellipsoid
shape, f(c/a). (After F.R.N. Nabarro, Proceedings of the Royal
Society A, 175 (1940) 519.)
(a) (b)
Fig. 3.49 The origin of misfit strain for an incoherent
inclusion (no lattice matching).
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.5 Growth Rate
MMAT 305
dR/dt
I
T
I
dR/dt
T =0, T=T
m
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.6 KJMA Model
MMAT 305
Impingement
Radius, R
R=R
*
G
dt
dR
= = Slope
t
Time, t
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.6 KJMA Model
MMAT 305
Time, t
V
U
t=t
dt
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.6 KJMA Model
MMAT 305
V
V
U
Transformed volume
Real
Phantom
(nucleate within already
going parts)
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.6 KJMA Model
MMAT 305
1
0
t
log t
I
1
G
1
I
2
G
2
I
3
G
3
I
1
=I
3
>I
2
G
1
=G
2
>G
3
o
I nstitute of Materials Science
Nucleation Rate Limitations to KJMA Model
MMAT 305
Fig. 5.24 (a) Nucleation at a constant rate during the whole
transformation. (b) Site saturation all nucleation occurs a the
beginning of transformation. (c) A cellular transformation.
(a)
(b)
(c)
I nstitute of Materials Science MMAT 305
Other Modes of Phase Transformations
I nstitute of Materials Science
Other Modes of Solidification
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(a)
(b)
Fig. 4.11 Atomically smooth solid/liquid interfaces with atoms
represented by cubes. (a) Addition of a single atom onto a flat interface
increases the number of broken bonds by four. (b) Addition to a ledge
(L) only increases the number of broken bonds by two, whereas at a jog
in a ledge (J) there is no increase.
Fig. 4.12 Ledge creation by surface nucleation.
I nstitute of Materials Science MMAT 305
Fig. 4.13 Spiral growth. (a) A screw dislocation terminating in the solid/liquid interface showing
the associated ledge. (After W.T. Read Jr., Dislocations in Crystals, 1953 McGraw-Hill. Used
with the permission of McGraw-Hill Book Company.) Addition of atoms at the ledge causes it to
rotate with an angular velocity decreasing away from the dislocation core so that a growth spiral
develops as shown in (b). (After J.W. Christian, The Theory of Phase Transformations in Metals
and Alloys, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1965.)
(a)
(b)
Other Modes of Solidification
I nstitute of Materials Science MMAT 305
Fig. 4.14 The influence of interface undercooling (T
i
) on growth rate for
atomically rough and smooth interfaces.

Other Modes of Solidification
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.7 Heat Flow, Interface Stability and Dendritic Growth
MMAT 305
T=T
0
R
AT
R
2
2
LR
T
m

R
*
0
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.7 Heat Flow, Interface Stability and Dendritic Growth
MMAT 305
Fig. 4.16 As Fig. 4.15, but for heat conduction into the liquid.
(a) (b) (c)
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.7 Heat Flow, Interface Stability and Dendritic Growth
MMAT 305
Fig. 4.17 The development of thermal dendrites: (a) a
spherical nucleus; (b) the interface becomes unstable; (c)
primary arms develop in crystallographic directions
(<100> in cubic crystals); (d) secondary and tertiary arms
develop (after R.E. Reed-Hill, Physical Metallurgy
Principles, 2
nd
. Edn., Van Nostrand, New York, 1973.)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.7 Heat Flow, Interface Stability and Dendritic Growth
MMAT 305
Fig. 4.18 Temperature distribution at the tip of a growing thermal dendrite.
I nstitute of Materials Science
3.2 Nucleation Rate
VW
BD
I
T
T =0, T=T
m

I: Nucleation Rate
N
u
c
l
e
a
t
i
o
n

R
a
t
e