Phase-field study the effects of elastic strain energy on the occupation probability of Cr atom in Ni-Al-Cr alloy

The occupation probability (OP) of Cr atom at α sublattices and β sublattices of DO22-Ni3Cr and L12-Ni3Al in Ni-Al-Cr alloy was studied by using phase-field microelasticity model. The elastic strain energy (ESE) arised by a coherent misfit has little effect on the precipitation sequence of alloy while it changes the behavior of the temporal evolution OP of Cr atom in DO22 and L12 phases. With the ESE increasing, the OP of Cr atom at both α sublattices and β sublattices in DO22 phase increases, the OP of Cr atom at β sublattices in L12 phase decreases, and the OP of Cr atom at α sublattices in L12 phase increases. Eventually, the ESE leads to directional coarsening of coherent microstructure.