Sergievskii

The authors propose an energy method for calculating degradation rate of a non-equilibrium structure while in opeartion. With the use of differential scanning calorimetry it is possible to determine the presence of phase transformations in case of alloy aging, decay of supersaturated solid solutions, secondary crystallization and also assess heat content of the system during the transient process from the non-equilibrium state into the thermodynamic equilibrium state with extra energy release. Differentiating the current value of extra energy with respect to time, it’s also possible to determine the value of the chemical activity coefficient during phase transformations in alloys at working temperatures. Estimated dependence of the rate of energy dissipation χ on the initial value of a superfluous chemical potential was derived for the first time.