Journal of Materials Science, Vol.49, No.8, 3066-3079, 2014
An analytical model for secondary phase dissolution kinetics
An analytical model for dissolution kinetics of secondary phase particles upon isothermal annealing has been proposed. Considering the interactions of solute diffusion fields in front of the secondary phase/matrix interface upon dissolution, a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami type equation, subjected to necessary modification, was derived, in combination with a classic dissolution model for single-particle system. Compared with the semiempirical dissolution models, which are used to fit the experimental results and phase-field method simulation, the current model follows an analogous form, but with the time-dependent kinetic parameters. Distinct from the model fitting work published recently, the current model is derived from the diffusion-controlled transformation theory, while the modeling quality is guaranteed by the physically realistic model parameters. On this basis, the current model calculation leads to a clear relationship between the secondary phase volume fraction and the time. Accordingly, model predictions for isothermal theta' dissolution in Al-3.0wt%-Cu alloy and silicon dissolution in Al-0.8wt%-Si alloy were performed; good agreement with the published experimental data has been achieved.