Modification of the Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami rate equation for non-isothermal experiments and its analytical solution

Avrami's model describes the kinetics of phase transformation under the assumption of spatially random nucleation. In this paper we provide a quasi-exact analytical solution of Avrami's model when the transformation takes place under continuous heating. This solution has been obtained with different activation energies for both nucleation and growth rates. The relation obtained is also a solution of the so-called Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami transformation rate equation. The corresponding non-isothermal Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami transformation rate equation differs from the one obtained under isothermal conditions only by a constant parameter, which depends only on the ratio between nucleation and growth rate activation energies. Consequently, a minor correction allows us to extend the Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami transformation rate equation to continuous heating conditions. (c) 2006 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.