Papers - Physical Metallurgy - Hardness and Lattice Stress in Solid Solutions (Metals Technology, April 1943) (with discussion)

IT has been suggested that: "Insofar as the hardening due to a solute depends upon the increase of lattice parameter produced by it, it is reasonable to suppose that this hardening might be related to the resistance which the pure solvent would offer to increase in its parameter."' It was further suggested that this hypothesis might be examined by comparing the hardnesses of analogous silver and copper alloys, since the stress necessary to produce a given lattice expansion is quite different in the two metals. Suitable data2,3,4 are now available on these alloys, and we shall proceed to an examination of the hypothesis quoted above. Hardness, Lattice Parameter and Ionic Overlap Increase in ultimate Meyer hardness has been plotted against increase in lattice parameter in Figs. I and 2. It is believed that most of the values are accurate within the limits indicated by the rectangles. These data are also presented in Table I. Ultimate Meyer hardness, P u, is defined by the equation: where L = load, D = diametei of an impression having the same diameter as the testing ball, which in this case is 4 mm. Increase in lattice parameter is defined as the difference between the lattice parameter of the solid solution and that of the pure solvent. The curves in Figs. I and 2 are based on equal solute concentration and an equal degree of plastic deformation pro duced by the testing ball. Hardnesses are corrected to a constant grain size for copper and silver alloys, respectively, and these two grain sizes are approximately equal. Furthermore, all solutes are from the same period of the B subgroup of the periodic table as their solvent. The question arises as to whether Or not lattice parameter is the only factor controlling the hardness of these alloys. There