Physical Metallurgy

Chemical Bonding:

1. Ionic, covalent, metallic, and secondary bonding in materials
2. Crystal structure of solids
3. Voids in solids
4.   Miller Indices

Crystal Imperfections:

1. Point, line and surface defects
2.   Coherent, semi-coherent and incoherent interfaces

Diffusion in solids: Diffusion equation, steady state and error function solutions; Examples-homogenenization and carburization; Kirkendall effect; Uphill diffusion; Atomic models for interstitial and substitutional diffusion; Pipe diffusion and grain boundary diffusion.


Phase diagrams :

1.   Definitions, Gibbs phase rule and cooling curves
2.   Unary diagrams
3.   Binary diagrams and its types
4.   Free energy - composition curves for binary alloys
5. The iron-carbon phase diagram
6. Effects of alloying elements on Fe-C diagram
7. Determination of phase diagram

Phase transformation: Driving force, Homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation, growth Kinetics Solidification in isomorphous, eutectic and peritectic systems, cast structures and macrosegregation, dendritic solidification and constitutional supercooling, coring and microsegregation..

Solid state transformations: Precipitation, spinoidal decomposition, ordering, massive transformation, discontinuous precipitation, eutectoid transformation, diffusionless transformations; Precipitate coarsening, Gibbs-Thomson effect.


Heat treatment :

1. Principles of heat treatment of steels
2. TTT and CCT diagrams
3. Surface hardening treatments
4. Recovery, recrystallization and grain growth
5. Heat treatment of cast iron and aluminium alloys

X-ray Diffraction: Bragg’s law, optical metallography, principles of SEM imaging.

Extra Topics: Electronic, magnetic and optical properties of materials.