Monotectic four-phase reaction in Al-Bi-Zn alloys

Thermodynamic phase diagram calculations were used for the systematic search for a monotectic four-phase reaction in ternary Al-alloys. Systems with intermetallic phases and also the elements Cd and Hg were excluded in the present search. The ternary Al-Bi-Zn is a rare occasion where such a reaction, Lʹ= L" + (Al)ʹ+ (Zn), actually occurs. Experimental work could be focused on key samples in that system and involved DSC for thermal analysis and calorimetry, and also metallographic analysis using SEM/EDX. Experimental results verify the existence of the monotectic reaction and were also used for a quantitative thermodynamic modeling of Al-Bi-Zn. Solidification paths and microstructures of Al-Bi-Zn alloys are shown to be rather complex. Using thermodynamic calculations, these rich details involving up to three invariant reactions and unexpected monovariant reaction types can be clearly revealed and understood.