A simplified method for calculating the diffusivity matrix in ternary alloys

In multicomponent diffusion, the fluxes of various elements are related to all the concentration gradients via the diffusivity matrix. The determination of the diffusivity for ternary alloys requires the computation of four independent matrix elements. A procedure for determining the diffusivity from a single experiment is described and evaluated. The validity of the procedure is demonstrated via implementation of Profiler. a PC-based software program. Achieving consistent results with controlled error limits requires careful attention to the numerical procedures. (C) 1999 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.