ENG GEN 151 - Materials Science and Engineering
Summer 2024
H OMEWORK 3
Due: Friday, July 5th, 11:59 PM
1. The purification of hydrogen gas by diffusion through a palladium sheet was dis-
cussed in the textbook. Compute the number of kilograms of hydrogen that pass
per hour through a 6-mm thick sheet of palladium having an area of 0.25 m2 at
600◦ C. Assume a diffusion coefficient of 1.7 × 10−8 m2 /s, that the respective con-
centrations at the high- and low- pressure side of the plate are 2.0 and 0.4 kg of
hydrogen per cubic meter of palladium, and that steady-state conditions have been
attained.
2. A sheet of BCC iron 2-mm thick was exposed to a carburizing gas atmosphere on
one side and a decarburizing atmosphere on the other side at 675◦ C. After reaching
steady state, the iron was quickly cooled to room temperature. The carbon concen-
trations at the two surfaces of the sheet were determined to be 0.015 and 0.0068
wt%, respectively. Compute the diffusion coefficient if the diffusion flux is 7.36 × 10−9
kg/m2 s.
x2 2
3. Show that Cx = √BDt exp − 4Dt is a solution to: ∂C
∂t
= D ∂∂xC2
4. An FCC iron-carbon alloy initially containing 0.55 wt% C is exposed to an oxygen-
rich and virtually carbon-free atmosphere at 1325 K (1052◦ C). Under these circum-
stances, the carbon diffuses from the alloy and reacts at the surface with the oxy-
gen in the atmosphere - that is, the carbon concentration at the surface position
is maintained essentially at 0 wt% C. (This process of carbon depletion is termed
decarburization.) At what position will the carbon concentration be 0.25 wt% after a
10-h treatment? the value of D at 1325 K is 3.3 × 10−11 m2 /s.
5. Consider a diffusion couple between silver and gold alloy that contains 10 wt% silver.
This couple is heat treated at an elevated temperature and it was found that after 850
s, the concentration of silver had increased to 12 wt% at 10 µm from the interface
into the Ag-Au alloy. Assuming pre-exponential and activation energy values of 7.2×
10−6 m2 /s and 168, 000 J/mol, respectively, computer the temperature of this heat
treatment.
1
6. Using the data from Diffusion Coefficient Table, compute the value of D for the
diffusion of nitrogen in FCC iron at 950◦ C.
7. The activation energy for the diffusion of copper in silver is 193,000 J/mol. Calculate
the diffusion coefficient at 1200 K (927◦ C), given that D at 1000 K (727◦ C) is 1.0 ×
10−14 m2 /s.
8. Carbon is allowed to diffuse through a steel plate 10-mm thick. The concentrations
of carbon at the two faces are 0.85 and 0.40 kg C/cm3 Fe, which are maintained
constant. If the pre-exponential and activation energy are 5.0×10−7 m2 /s and 77,000
J/mol, respectively, compute the temperature at which the diffusion flux is 6.3 × 10−10
kg/m2 ·s.
9. Consider the diffusion of some hypothetical metal Y into another hypothetical metal
Z at 950◦ C; after 10-h the concentration at the 0.5 mm position (in metal Z) is 2.0
wt% Y. At what position will the concentration also be 2.0 wt% Y after a 17.5-h heat
treatment again at 950◦ C? Assume pre-exponential and activation energy values of
4.3 × 10−4 m2 /s and 180,000 J/mol, respectively, for this diffusion system.
10. For the pre-deposition heat treatment of a semiconducting device, gallium atoms
are to be diffused into silicon at a temperature of 1150◦ C for 2.5 h. If the required
concentration of Ga at a position 2 µm below the surface is 8 × 1023 atoms/m3 ,
compute the required surface concentration of Ga. Assume the following:
(i) The surface concentration remains constant
(ii) The background concentration is 2 × 1019 Ga atoms/m3
(iii) Pre-exponential and activation energy values are 3.74 × 10−5 m2 /s and 3.39
eV/atom, respectively.
