Surface tension and density measurements of Sn-Ag-Sb liquid alloys and phase diagram calculations of the Sn-Ag-Sb ternary system

Abstract

The maximum bubble pressure method has been used to measure the surface tension of pure antimony and the surface tension and density (dilatometric method) of Sn-3.8 at%Ag eutectic base alloys with 0.03,0.06 and 0.09 molar fraction of antimony at a temperature range from 550 to 1200 K. The linear dependencies of surface tension and density on temperature were observed and they were described by straight-line equations. Moreover, experimental determination of phase diagram and thermodynamic calculations in the Sn-Ag-Sb system were performed and the resulting optimized thermodynamic parameters were used for modeling of the surface tension. In addition, a non-equilibrium solidification process using the Scheil model was simulated and compared with the equilibrium solidification behavior of a Sn-Ag-Sb alloy.