The control of the solidification process of cast iron requires understanding and control of the thermodynamics of the liquid and solid phases and of the kinetics of their solidification, including nucleation and growth. This article addresses issues that allow for the determination of probability of formation and relative stability of various phases. These include the influence of temperature and composition on solubility of various elements in iron-base alloys; calculation of solubility lines, relevant to the construction of phase diagrams; and calculation of activity of various components. It discusses the role of alloying elements in terms of their influence on the activity of carbon, which provides information on the stability of the main carbon-rich phases of iron-carbon alloys, that is, graphite and cementite. The article reviews the carbon solubility in multicomponent systems, along with saturation degree and carbon equivalent.

This article discusses the various heat treating processes, namely, solid-solution hardening, solution treating, solution aging and dispersion hardening, for low-melting-point alloys such as lead alloys, tin-rich alloys, and zinc alloys. Heat treating of tin-rich alloys has been practiced for bearing alloys, pewterware, and organ pipe alloys. The article reviews the principles underlying these applications.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which copper (Cu) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The other elements are Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Si, Sn, Ti and Zn. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 42 phase diagrams (liquidus projection, solidus projection, isopleths, isothermal section and vertical section).

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which iron (Fe) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 16 phase diagrams: Fe-Mn-Ni liquidus projection; Fe-Mn-Ni isothermal section at 750 °C; Fe-Mn-Ni isothermal section at 850 °C; Fe-Mn-Ni isothermal section at 650 °C; Fe-Mn-Ni isothermal section at 550 °C; Fe-Mo-Nb isothermal section at 1050 °C; Fe-Mo-Nb isothermal section at 1150 °C; Fe-Mo-Nb isothermal section at 900 °C; Fe-Mo-Ni liquidus projection; Fe-Mo-Ni isothermal section at 1100 °C; Fe-Mo-Ni isothermal section at 1200 °C; Fe-Ni-W liquidus and solidus projections; Fe-Ni-W isothermal section at 1500 °C; Fe-Ni-W isothermal section at 1455 °C; Fe-Ni-W isothermal section at 1465 °C; and Fe-Ni-W isothermal section at 1400 °C.

This article describes the liquidus plots, isothermal plots, and isopleth plots used for a hypothetical ternary phase space diagram. It discusses the single-phase boundary (SPB) line and zero-phase fraction (ZPF) line for carbon-chromium-iron isopleth. The article illustrates the Gibbs triangle for plotting ternary composition and discusses the ternary three-phase phase diagrams by using tie triangles. It describes the peritectic system with three-phase equilibrium and ternary four-phase equilibrium. The article presents representative binary iron phase diagrams, showing ferrite stabilization (iron-chromium) and austenite stabilization (iron-nickel).

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which germanium (Ge) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes phase diagram of Ge-Sb-Te liquidus projection.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which molybdenum (Mo) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 8 phase diagrams: Mo-Nb-Ti isothermal section at 600 °C; Mo-Nb-Ti isothermal section at 1100 °C; Mo-Ni-Ti isothermal section at 1200 °C; Mo-Ni-Ti isothermal section at 900 °C; Mo-Ni-W isothermal section at 700 °C; Mo-Ni-W isothermal section at 1000 °C; Mo-Ti-W isothermal section at 2227 °C; and Mo-Ti-W isothermal section at 1000 °C.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which niobium (Nb) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 2 phase diagrams: Nb-Ti-W isothermal section at 600 °C; and Nb-Ti-W isothermal section at 1000 °C.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which silver (Ag) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 16 phase diagrams: Ag-Au-Cu liquidus projection; Ag-Au-Cu isothermal section at 850 °C; Ag-Au-Cu isothermal section at 950 °C; Ag-Au-Cu isothermal section at 775 °C; Ag-Au-Cu isothermal section at 300 °C; Ag-Cd-Cu isothermal section at 600 °C; Ag-Cd-Cu liquidus projection; Ag-Cd-Cu isothermal section at 500 °C; Ag-Cd-Cu isothermal section at 300 °C; Ag-Cd-Zn isothermal section at 600 °C; Ag-Cd-Zn liquidus projection; Ag-Cd-Zn isothermal section at 400 °C; Ag-Cd-Zn isothermal section at 200 °C; Ag-Cu-Zn isothermal section at 600 °C; Ag-Cu-Zn liquidus projection; and Ag-Cu-Zn isothermal section at 350 °C.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which lead (Pb) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 7 phase diagrams: Pb-Sb-Sn liquidus projection; Pb-Sb-Sn isothermal section at 240 °C; Pb-Sb-Sn isothermal section at 189 °C; Pb-Sb-Sn (Pb) liquidus projection; Pb-Sn-Zn liquidus projection; and Pb-Sn-Zn isothermal section at 532 °C.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which cadmium (Cd) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 4 phase diagrams: Cd-Sb-Sn isothermal section at 212 °C; Cd-Sb-Sn liquidus projection; Cd-Sb-Sn isothermal section at 175 °C; and Cd-Sb-Sn isothermal section at 20 °C.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which cobalt (Co) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The other elements are Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Ti, V, and W. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 36 phase diagrams (liquidus projection, solidus projection and isothermal section).

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which chromium (Cr) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The other elements are Fe, Mn, Mo, N, Nb, Ni, Ti, V and W. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 55 phase diagrams (liquidus projection, solidus projection, isothermal section and vertical section).

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which aluminum (Al) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The other elements are C, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, Sb, Si, Ti, U, V and Zn. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 136 phase diagrams (liquidus projection, solidus projection, isothermal section, vertical section, and solvus projection).

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which boron (B) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 2 phase diagrams: B-C-Fe liquidus projection; and B-Fe-Nd liquidus projection.

This article is a compilation of ternary alloy phase diagrams for which carbon (C) is the first-named element in the ternary system. The other elements are Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, N, Ni, S, Si, Ti, V, and W. The diagrams are presented with element compositions in weight percent. The article includes 136 phase diagrams (solidus projection, liquidus projection, isothermal section and vertical section).