Diffusive phase transformation in a Cu–Zn alloy under rapid heating by electropulsing

Electropulsing with a damped oscillating waveform was employed to heat cycle a Cu–Zn alloy containing α and β′ phases. It was found that significant long-range diffusion and then a diffusive phase transformation α + β′→β can occur in the alloy during the course of heating, even when the heating rate during the electropulsing treatment is very high (106 K s−1). The phenomenon is different from the common cases of rapid heating and rapid cooling. It implies that electropulsing can dramatically enhance diffusion in the alloy.