Kinetics of short-range order formation in the ternary Au–Ag–Pd alloys

The kinetics of formation and destruction of short-range order (SRO) were investigated in the ternary Au40Ag40Pd20 alloy using the residual resistometry. The changes in residual electrical resistivity were measured during down-quenching (DQ) and up-quenching (UQ) cross-over annealing experiments. The quantitative analysis of the resistivity data showed that three kinetic processes are involved in the short-range ordering and disordering process. The results agree qualitatively with the Yu–Lucke model for the kinetics of SRO in the fcc ternary alloys. However, the kinetic parameters derived from the cross-over experiments during ordering and disordering was found to be complicated and different from the unidirectional isothermal kinetics. These differences suggest that the reaction paths during ordering and disordering are different.