Experimental Liquidus Studies of the Binary Pb-Cu-O and Ternary Pb-Cu-Si-O Systems in Equilibrium with Metallic Pb-Cu Alloys

Abstract

Phase equilibria of the Pb-Cu-Si-O system have been investigated in the range 933-1938 K (660-1665 °C) for oxide liquid (slag) in equilibrium with solid Cu metal, liquid Pb-Cu alloy, or both solid and liquid metals, and solid oxide phases: (a) quartz, tridymite, cristobalite (SiO2); (b) cuprite (Cu2O); (c) lead silicates (PbSiO3, Pb2SiO4, Pb11Si3O17); (d) lead oxide (massicot, PbO); and (e) copper plumbite (Cu2PbO2). High-temperature equilibration on silica or copper substrates, followed by quenching and direct measurement of Pb, Cu and Si concentrations in the liquid and solid phases with the electron probe x-ray microanalysis (EPMA) has been used to accurately characterize the system in equilibrium with Cu or Pb-Cu metal. All results are projected onto the PbO-“CuO0.5”-SiO2 plane for presentation purposes. The present study is a continuation of the previous investigation of this system by the authors in a part of the silica and cuprite primary phase fields. Present data were later used to develop the thermodynamic models for all phases in this system.