Phase relationships in Cu-rich corner of the Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram

Abstract

In the available experimental information on the Cu-Cr-Zr ternary system, there exist different opinions concerning the phase relationships in the Cu-rich corner of Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram. Glazov et al. and Zakharov et al. investigated the Cu-rich corner of the Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram within the composition range up to 3.5 Cr and 3.5 Zr (wt. %). A quasi-eutectic reaction L {yields} (Cu) + {alpha}Cr{sub 2}Zr was observed to occur at 1,020 C and several isothermal sections were constructed within the temperature range from 600 to 1,000 C to show the (Cu)-{alpha}Cr{sub 2}Zr two phase equilibrium. Therefore, a pseudobinary Cu-Cr{sub 2}Zr system was supposed. Afterwards, Dawakatsu et al, Fedorov et al, and Kuznetsov et al studied the cu-rich corner of the phase diagram in a wider composition range up to 5 Cr and 20 Zr (at.%). Contrary to Glazov et al. and Zakharov et al., they found no Cr{sub 2}Zr phase in their samples. Hence, the pseudobinary Cu-Cr{sub 2}Zr system does not exist. In this study an experimental investigation is presented on the phase relationships in Cu-rich corner of the Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram at 940 C in order to clear up the confusion.