Liquidus line
The liquidus line (from Latin liquidus - the liquid) is the limit in the phase diagram of an alloy that separates the area of only liquid phases from the area of solid and liquid phases.
Commonly, phase diagrams for alloys at constant pressure are presented as a graph of temperature as a function of alloy composition. A melt with a certain alloy composition will begin to solidify when it cools slowly when it reaches the liquidus temperature , or it will completely melt when it is slowly heated. The line connecting these temperatures for different compositions is the liquidus line. An example is the iron-carbon diagram , where the liquidus line runs along points ABCD.
In the case of a pure metal or a eutectic , the liquidus temperature coincides with the solidus temperature . The melting range then changes to a melting point . The liquidus and solidus lines form an intersection.
See also
Web links
- Liquidus curve. In: Spectrum Lexicon of Geosciences.
- Melting diagram. In: Spectrum Lexicon of Chemistry.