Structure, mechanical metallurgy and electrical transport properties of rapidly solidified Pb50Sn50-xBix alloys

Electrical transport properties, structure and mechanical properties of Pb50Sn50-xBix (0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 50) alloys have been studied and analyzed. The addition of bismuth in the amounts of 30 wt % and 50 wt % results in the appearance of the crystalline metastable chi (Pb-Bi) phase. Y phase is also identified and it is found at 50 wt % bismuth. Electrical transport is sensitive to the alloys composition, decreasing as the bismuth content increases. The Vickers hardness number is sensitive to the structure of the quenched ribbons. The lowest value of H-v is 55 MPa for the Pb50Sn20Bi30 alloy, which is attributed to the formation of the metastable chi (Pb-Bi) after a rapid quench from the melt. Values of the equivalent Fermi temperature, T-F Fermi velocity, V-F and the Fermi wave vector, K-F, are also computed. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.