Extended Energy Conservation Law in Alloys: the Absence of Energy Non-Equilibrium

Assuming that many of the materials produced in a non-equilibrium state remain unchanged, an extended space-energy conservation law was proposed based on the existing energy conservation law. In the present study, by analyzing the well developed equilibrium binary phase diagram of iron (Fe) - carbon (C), we show that energy non-equilibrium microstructures can appear as a part of the equilibrium between the space energy and the mass energy. The correlation between these two energies is objectively and logically explained via (1) one-to-one correspondences between the equilibrium and non-equilibrium phases based on the binary Fe-C phase diagram and (2) the heat-treated Fe-C phases with the spatial energy represented by temperature. Additionally, we found that the morphological and microstructural changes in non-equilibrium states could be consistently explained using the extended energy law as a major premise. This suggests that material factors such as size, distribution, and the shape of materials, which appear to have no energy transfer, are all formed to balance the energy equilibrium with the spatial energy surrounding the materials. Thus, an extended energy conservation law, which can control mass through space or vice versa, can provide a comprehensive logical framework for analyzing various unsolved physicochemical phenomena. (Received May 28, 2020; Accepted June 17, 2020)