Solid Solution - Application

Application

In the phase diagram, at three different concentrations, the material will be solid until it's heated to its melting point, and then (after adding the heat of fusion) become liquid at that same temperature:

  • the unalloyed extreme left
  • the unalloyed extreme right
  • the dip in the center (the eutectic composition).

At other proportions, the material will enter a mushy or pasty phase until it warms up to being completely melted.

The mixture at the dip point of the diagram is called a eutectic alloy. Lead-tin mixtures formulated at that point (37/63 mixture) are useful when soldering electronic components, particularly if done manually, since the solid phase is quickly entered as the solder cools. In contrast, when lead-tin mixtures were used to solder seams in automobile bodies a pasty state enabled a shape to be formed with a wooden paddle or tool, so a 70-30 lead to tin ratio was used. (Lead is being removed from such applications owing to its toxicity and consequent difficulty in recycling devices and components that include lead.)

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