Liquid separation in Cu-Zr-Ag ternary alloys

While cooling beyond a certain temperature limit (TSEP) the Cu- Zr-Ag ternary melt of the separated field in the ternary diagram decomposes into an Ag-rich liquid (L1) and another liquid rich in Cu and Zr (L2) both under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions. The master alloy samples were melted and cast in a wedge-shaped copper mould, in order to obtain a gradient of cooling rate. The shape of separated melt, its size and distribution were investigated. The boundaries of the liquid ternary miscibility gap have been enlarged owing to high cooling rate. The results confirm that the volume fraction of the separated phases has increased due to higher cooling rate. Three microstructure types can be distinguished during the liquid separation process as a function of L1