The Evaluation of the Interparticle Spacing in Dispersion Alloys

AbstractIt is well known that dispersed particles (whether of intermetallic or non-metallic phases) can have a considerable influence on the properties of metals, e.g. strengths are increased, recrystallization can be either accelerated or retarded, and the matrix grain size is often much reduced compared with that of a single-phase alloy having the same composition as the matrix of the dispersion alloy. The magnitude of these effects depends on the size and spacing of the dispersed particles. However, these parameters seldom have an absolute value, even in a single specimen, since the particles are rarely, uniform in size, shape, or distribution. In addition, the interparticle spacing can be calculated on the basis of any one of several different definitions and/or formulae, each of which leads to a different numerical value for a given alloy structure.