TCNOBL Electrical Resistivity Examples

Electrical resistivity (ELRS) of noble metal alloys can be calculated using Thermo-Calc and with the TCS Noble Metal Alloys Database (TCNOBL). You can calculate the quantities of a phase φ such as FCC or BCC with the variables ELRS (φ), or a system (i.e. alloy) with ELRS. You can also calculate the derived quantities, i.e. electrical conductivity (ELCD) in a similar way.

The database includes electrical resistivity (ELRS) starting with version 3.0 (TCNOBL3).

In these validation examples, calculated ELRS values are compared with experimental data for some noble metal alloys. In some of the examples the experiments are performed on "frozen-in" structures, i.e. the structure consists of only a single disordered FCC phase. In other experiments the samples are heat treated for a longer time and can be considered to have reached equilibrium. The comparison calculations are carried out in accordance with the corresponding experiments.

Ag-Au-Cu

Calculated ELRS of disordered (frozen in FCC structure) Ag-Au-Cu alloys at 295 K compared with experimental data

Figure 1: Calculated electrical resistivity of disordered (frozen-in FCC structure) Ag-Au-Cu alloys at 295 K compared with experimental data [1972Dav].

Au-Cu-Zn

Calculated ELRS of disordered (frozen in FCC structure) Au-Cu-Zn alloys at 273 K compared with experimental data

Figure 2: Calculated electrical resistivity of disordered (frozen-in FCC structure) Au-Cu-Zn alloys at 273 K compared with experimental data [1964Arg].

Ag-In-Sn

Calculated ELRS of liquid for an Ag-In-Sn alloy with 20 at% In and 20 at% Sn compared with experimental data

Figure 3: Calculated electrical resistivity of liquid for an Ag-In-Sn alloy with 20 at% In and 20 at% Sn compared with experimental data [1967Bus].

Ag-Cu-Pd

In experiments by Volkov [2004Vol], samples of a Cu-Pd-10Ag alloy are first heat treated at 850 °C and then quenched. This results in a material with a "frozen-in" single phase FCC structure. Electrical resistivity was then measured as a function of time during isothermal heat treatment at 370 °C. At the end of the measurement it can then be assumed that equilibrium was reached. The diagram shows calculated electrical resistivity compared with the measured results by Volkov [2004Vol], both for the initial state and at equilibrium.

Calculated ELRS of a Cu-Pd-10Ag alloy at 370 °C as a function of composition. Dashed line is calculated initial state, i.e. "frozen in" FCC structure. Colored lines are calculated equilibrium state. Calculated results are compared with experimental data

Figure 4: Calculated electrical resistivity of a Cu-Pd-10Ag alloy at 370 °C as a function of composition. The dashed line is the calculated initial state, i.e. a "frozen-in" FCC structure. Colored lines are the calculated equilibrium state. Calculated results are compared with experimental data [2004Vol].

References

[1964Arg] B. B. Argent and K. T. Lee, The electrical resistivities and lattice parameters of copper-gold-zinc alloys, Br. J. Appl. Phys. 15, 1523, (1964).

[1967Bus] G. Busch and  H. -J. Güntherodt, Hall-Koeffizient und spezifischer elektrischer Widerstand flüssiger Metallegierungen, Physik der kondensierten Materie volume 6, 325–362 (1967).

[1972Dav] T. H. Davis and J. A. Rayne, Specific Heat and Residual Resistivity of Binary and Ternary Noble-Metal Alloys, Phys. Rev. B, 6, 2931 (1972).

[2004Vol] A. Y. Volkov, Improvements to the Microstructure and Physical Properties of Pd-Cu-Ag Alloys, Platinum Metals Rev., 48, (1), 2, (2004).