Phase Transformations

Catalog description

The phase in a material is dependent upon temperature, thermal history, and other variables such as pressure and composition. In this course, concepts of metallurgical thermodynamics and kinetics are used to study phase transformations to efficiently process materials with a desired structure (phase), which enables remarkable properties and subsequently, superior performance. Subjects covered include diffusion in solids, crystal interfaces (coherent, semi-coherent, incoherent interfaces), nucleation and growth, equilibrium and nonequilibrium solidification processes, solid-state transformations (nucleation and growth of precipitates, GP-Zone formation, Ostwald's step rule, order-disorder transition, spinodal decomposition, martensitic transformation). Recommended prerequisite: For GS: Permission from the instructor (in Spring 2026, approximately 5 GS will be admitted)