Numerical Simulation of Spinodal Deposition in Cu–6at.%Ni–3at.%Si Ternary Alloy Using of Phase Field Method

Based on Cahn-Hilliard nonlinear diffusion equation, the phase field model has been established for ternary alloy spinodal decomposition, which directly couples with Calphad thermodynamics and dynamics calculation and takes into account the effect of the coherent elastic energy. The simulated microstructures of spinodal decomposition were carried out in the isothermally-aged of Cu-6at.%Ni-3at.%Si alloy. The results indicate that the spinodal decomposition takes place at the early stage of Cu-6at.%Ni-3at.%Si alloy aging at temperatures of 723K, forming two-phases mixture of Cu-rich and Ni/Si-rich, and the decomposition microstructures are distributed in a semi-interconnected labyrinth-like form. Under the effect of the coherent elastic energy, the decomposition microstructures demonstrate the obvious anisotropic characteristics, and present interconnected rectangular stripes aligned along [10] and [01] directions. The growth of the decomposition microstructures is in accordance with the growth law of growth exponent n ≈0.29, slightly less than the LSW’s prediction.