Martin J.W., Doherty R.D., Cantor B. Stability of Microstructure in Metallic Systems

Second edition. - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. - 426 p. - ISBN: 0521411602.This book investigates the various causes of thermodynamic instability in metallic microstructures. Materials theoretically well designed for a particular application may prove inefficient or even useless unless stable under normal working conditions. The authors examine current experimental and theoretical understanding of the kinetics behind structural change. The different changes are analysed on the basis of the different driving forces for structural change: chemical, strain, interfacial, gradient etc. In each case the currently accepted mechanisms are described, analysed kinetically and then the analysis is tested against experimental evidence.The general problem of the stability of microstructure
Structural instability due to chemical free energy
Highly metastable alloys
Instability due to strain energy
Microstructural instability due to interfaces
Other causes of microstructural instability